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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28843638">Kiva Dad au beta</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jen425/pseuds/Jen425'>Jen425</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miyuko/pseuds/Miyuko'>Miyuko</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorCresselia/pseuds/SailorCresselia'>SailorCresselia</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silverbird22/pseuds/Silverbird22'>Silverbird22</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zyngacat/pseuds/Zyngacat'>Zyngacat</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Rider Dad AU [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Kamen Rider - All Media Types, Kamen Rider Kiva</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Kid Fic, References to Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, not tagging relationships we die like the king fangire</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 03:34:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,800</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28843638</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jen425/pseuds/Jen425, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miyuko/pseuds/Miyuko, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorCresselia/pseuds/SailorCresselia, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silverbird22/pseuds/Silverbird22, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zyngacat/pseuds/Zyngacat</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The car screeched off.</p>
<p>Otoya and the child stared at each other.</p>
<p>“Mama told me to give you this. Says it’s Cus-To-Dy.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Rider Dad AU [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1450240</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Kiva Dad au beta</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Miyuko here: fun fact, i wrote a bunch this having only seen endgame kiva. -my plans worked out surprisingly well.</p>
<p>yet again: thank you SailorCresselia for your editing, regular and HTML</p>
<p> </p>
<p>SailorCresselia here: Regarding the tags... Largely, if you've seen Kiva, specifically its endgame, you should pretty much understand where these are coming from. The 'sexual assault' does not <em>actually</em> occur, but it is threatened. 'Suicidal Thoughts' is here for both Wataru <em>and</em> the main OC. Utaya is not in a good place for many reasons.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>1985</strong>
</p>
<p>The car screeched off.</p>
<p>Otoya and the child stared at each other.</p>
<p>“Mama told me to give you this. Says it’s Cus-To-Dy.”</p>
<p>He took the papers and skimmed them over. It wasn’t like this was the first possible love child someone had claimed he’d fathered. <em>(Nor would it be the last.)</em></p>
<p>But shit, he’d need to deal with this for awhile.</p>
<p>“What did you say your name was?”</p>
<p>“Utaya.”</p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>1986</strong>
</p>
<p>Uta hated this, she hated her dad. She hated how he conned people.</p>
<p>She hated Jiro saying weird things to her about “repopulating his race” - or wanting to <em>Eat</em> her.</p>
<p>Not that she knew what the former meant.</p>
<p>The only things she liked were Yuri-san, and the violin.</p>
<p>She wanted to go Home.</p><hr/>
<p>“Now, come on, Uta. I’m sure your mom must miss you, too.”</p>
<p>“Yes, Oto.” Said Utaya. Who Very much disliked her dad.</p>
<p>She was So excited to see her mom again.</p><hr/>
<p>Her mother slammed the door in her face and yelled at them to “get lost,” the woman had gotten married and had immediately begun to make a new “proper” family.</p>
<p>Otoya awkwardly pat Uta’s shoulder.</p>
<p>She just kind of sat there.</p>
<p>Watching her mother, and her mother’s new husband and baby be happy together.</p>
<p>Fuck, he didn’t know how to handle kids. Hopefully she’d bounce back eventually.</p><hr/>
<p>Uta was still in a funk, even two days later. Muttering quietly and repeatedly, that “Mom didn’t want me…”</p>
<p>Yuri just quietly got her some hot chocolate.</p>
<p>Otoya continued to ignore her.</p>
<p>“Did you <em>Really</em> try to pawn her off on her mother?” asked an unhappy Yuri.</p>
<p>“You heard Uta, she wanted to go home, who was I to turn down my lovely daughter wanting to be happy?” said Otoya.</p>
<p>“She’ll recover,” said Jiro with a shrug.</p><hr/>
<p>Uta did Not recover from it.</p><hr/>
<p>“Stop! I said <em>Stop</em>. I can hear that violin scream, you’re not qualified to touch it,” said Otoya, Teleporting to this park. (Jiro, who had been sitting next to Yuri on the bench, had all but thrown himself to the far end of the next bench over.)</p>
<p>“What?! You Boob, why are you so serious all of a sudden?” said Yuri.</p>
<p>Before returning to ‘playing’ the violin, terribly. The author could not stress enough how awful her playing was.</p>
<p>As Jiro punched Otoya unconscious, again.</p><hr/>
<p>Otoya stared at Utaya, his kid. …Fuck, he’d kind of screwed up with her so far.</p>
<p>“Hey Uta, why don’t I teach you the violin?”</p>
<p>“I thought you didn’t Do kids.”</p>
<p>“Well, I broke that promise once, why not teach my lovely daughter?”</p>
<p>“…Can you teach me how to walk in heels, too?”</p>
<p>“Of course. Every woman should at least know How to Walk in heels, even if they don’t Wear them.”</p>
<p>“But why do you know?”</p>
<p>“Wellll, I’ll tell you when you’re older.”</p><hr/>
<p>“Shit, shit, Shit. Okay, okay. Come on we can work through this. Come on. The violin will help, the violin will help.”</p>
<p>Uta just stared at Otoya.</p>
<p>Otoya placed her violin in her arms and began moving them, trying to use music to get her out of her mostly non responsive state after what had happened with Jiro and Yuri.</p><hr/>
<p>Uta eventually began playing on her own. “…Oto, when did we get back?”</p>
<p>“A while ago, you were lost in the music.”</p>
<p>“‘Kay,” said Uta, not remembering what had happened.</p><hr/>
<p>Utaya liked Yuri, she liked her a lot, and she and Oto were living together now.</p>
<p>They weren’t <em>related</em> related, but… she really wanted to call her mom.</p><hr/>
<p>Uta would <em>Never</em> forgive Otoya <em>or</em> Maya.</p>
<p>Especially as time continued to pass while they worked on that violin together, and did… other things.</p>
<p>No one handling the clearly traumatized child. (since Yuri was also currently the one being cheated on)</p><hr/>
<p>Uta stared at the man from the future. …This was the Second one from 2008. (She disliked Nago, and wondered exactly What had happened in 2008 to cause TWO different people to return to 1986.)</p>
<p>…He kind of looked like Otoya… and like Maya.</p>
<p>She <em>had </em>to ask the future man about this.</p><hr/>
<p>“…So, you’re Really my little brother?” asked the young Utaya Kurenai. She looked up and down at the rider for a few moments. <em>“…But you’re bigger?”</em> said Uta in confusion.</p>
<p>“…That’s because I’m from the future.” Said Wataru softly, clearly trying to hide some sort of emotion from her. (He’s her <em>brother,</em> her <em><strong>Baby </strong>Brother</em>!! Even if he was <em>Maya’s</em> kid…)</p>
<p>She didn’t care, it was the first time she’d been happy in <em>Months</em>. Who Cared if he was <em>Otoya</em> and <em>Maya’s</em> kid? She had a Baby Brother!!</p>
<p>“<em>Am I a good big sister to you, Nii-chan? In the future?</em>”</p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>1987</strong>
</p>
<p>Otoya realized… his end was coming <em>very</em>, <em><strong>Very </strong></em>soon.</p>
<p>Fuck, he needed more time. Just another minute more, just to say that he was sorry for having not done more for Uta, but there was no time.</p>
<p>She hadn’t deserved any of this, and while he didn’t regret much in his life, and wouldn’t be able to for much longer…</p>
<p>He had to at least make sure she would be with her brother, and with Maya.</p>
<p>The knowledge that she’d be an older sister soon was the Only thing that had actually made her happy in months.</p>
<p>He’d been so lost in his newfound love for Maya, that he’d ignored how crushed she’d been by seeing the two of them together…</p>
<p>(He didn’t regret it, being with Maya, even if he did love Yuri, and had hurt her. They were both his destined women after all.)</p>
<p>And then after that, and after finishing the Bloody Rose…</p>
<p>He’d been busy handling Yuri.</p>
<p>And after That, was the situation with Maya’s very, Very possessive husband.</p>
<p>And now, there was no time left, his song was at its end.</p>
<p>He’d never hear how Wataru’s would begin, or how Utaya’s would continue.</p>
<p>Utaya could hate him as much as she wanted, he was fine with that, even if her music was harsh… if it was only harsh towards him, that would be enough.</p>
<p>“Maya… please Look after Uta…”</p>
<p>“Of course.”</p>
<p>And then, Otoya Kurenai was gone.</p><hr/>
<p>“Oto…? …Maya… why… why isn’t Oto moving? Or breathing?”</p>
<p>“…He has passed on, Utaya.”</p>
<p>“Wha- …What…?”</p>
<p>She began to shake him.</p>
<p>“OTO!! OTO WAKE UP, YOU GOTTA MEET WATARU, HE’S NOT HERE YET! YOU CAN’T GO AWAY YET! YOU CAN’T GO LIKE MOMMY AND YURI DID, I DON’T HAVE ANYWHERE ELSE TO GO AND WATARU NEEDS HIS MOMMY AND DADDY!”</p>
<p>Maya hugged the little girl tightly. “I’m sorry… I promise, you can stay with us.”</p><hr/>
<p>“Hey Maya… when can I go to school, like other kids?”</p>
<p>“You’re not going to school, Utaya.”</p>
<p>“But… but…”</p>
<p>“Wataru’s going to need you, and it won’t be safe for him to go to school either. You’re both going to need to be strong.”</p>
<p>Utaya gave a small nod, not Quite getting it. Mostly she was just sad she wouldn’t get to go to school and make friends.</p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>1988</strong>
</p>
<p>“Utaya, come meet your little brother.”</p>
<p>Utaya ran over.</p>
<p>He was much smaller, and all scrunched up, but there he was. Her baby brother Wataru, he was <em>here </em>now.</p>
<p>“Hi there Wataru, I promise I’m gonna be a good big sister, you said I did a good job, and I gotta make sure I do when you come back later.”</p>
<p>Maya smiled at her. “I’m sure Wataru will appreciate that.”</p>
<p>Utaya smiled a bit.</p>
<p>Neither was quite comfortable with the other, but… Maya had to admit it was nice to have a small piece of Otoya around, in his daughter, and now his son.</p>
<p>She wouldn’t be able to stay with them forever, but hopefully the time she had would be enough.</p>
<p>(She cared about Taiga too, but it was painful to look at him. He only reminded her of her days before she’d learned what love was, and it was better to keep him safe.)</p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>1996</strong>
</p>
<p>Utaya watched Maya say her goodbyes to Wataru, and only Wataru, revealing as well that the two of them would be living here. (Along with Kivat, as they’d soon learn.)</p>
<p>And that was the last anyone heard of Maya until 2008.</p>
<p>A shame this meant a batlike creature and a teenager were now in charge of a half fangire <em>child.</em></p>
<p>
  <em>A child who decided he Really really didn’t like going outside after a few panic attacks.</em>
</p>
<p>She missed Yuri. Yuri wouldn’t have Abandoned her like her mom, and now Wataru’s mom had.</p>
<p>No no, that was <em>Otoya <strong>and</strong> Maya’s</em> Fault that Yuri hadn’t been able to stay.</p>
<p>Utaya <em>Hated</em> her father and her step-mother.</p><hr/>
<p>“HEY THERE, I’M THE ONE AND ONLY KIVAT THE THIRD!”</p>
<p>Wataru screamed and hid behind her.</p>
<p>Utaya stared. The Wataru she’d met before, the future one… He’d had a Kivat <em>exactly</em> like this.</p>
<p>“…It’s okay Wataru, I… I think he’s nice.”</p><hr/>
<p>Kivat did indeed prove to be nice, thankfully. He didn’t know much, but he was here.</p>
<p>He mostly focused on Wataru, but he did actually try to acknowledge her.</p><hr/>
<p>Utaya should have hated her baby brother, but really, he was all she had.</p>
<p>…And he was a good kid.</p>
<p>She just… she wished she knew what to do.</p>
<p>But she had to try her best to make sure he’d be okay, she could do that much.</p>
<p>So what if she didn’t know how to raise a fangire? And Kivat didn’t have all the facts? She had to at least Try.</p>
<p>She could do it. They’d be okay.</p>
<p>Right?</p><hr/>
<p>Utaya stared at Jiro, who handed her a bag of clothing.</p>
<p>She found herself trembling and didn’t know why. She couldn’t remember.</p>
<p>Jiro looked away, an ashamed look on his face at her.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry.”</p>
<p>Utaya continued shaking.</p><hr/>
<p>Life wasn’t exactly easy for either Kurenai sibling.</p>
<p>Utaya was too young to go try to look for Taiga, but she hoped wherever Maya had put him he was okay.</p>
<p>She can’t have been worse with him than with her, Right?</p>
<p>Utaya had to have some measure of hope.</p>
<p>Honestly, she was lucky she was with Wataru in the first place, even if it was only because it was some of Otoya’s last requests. Even as terrible as he was, there was that.</p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>2007</strong>
</p>
<p>Wataru Kurenai was hard at work on his latest attempt at varnish.</p>
<p>A violin’s music began to play.</p>
<p>Ah, it was getting late, Uta was practicing.</p>
<p>He still continued to work.</p>
<p>Eventually, Utaya Kurenai was too depressed to play any longer.</p><hr/>
<p>It was a cold evening, the type that even someone as bundled up as Wataru was having trouble with.</p>
<p>The snow didn’t help, it was December after all.</p>
<p>But he needed more ingredients to make varnish with, to try and live up to the ‘Bloody Rose’ his father had made.</p>
<p>(Yes, the varnish Does effect the sound of a violin, but he didn’t precisely need to go gather such… Obscure ingredients to make varnish with. That part was mostly Kivat looking for Any reason to get Wataru out of the house before he would become Kamen Rider Kiva.)</p>
<p>And that’s when he noticed what sounded like an infant crying.</p>
<p>In <em>This</em> weather?</p><hr/>
<p>It was a baby, oh god it was a <em><strong>baby</strong></em>.</p>
<p>The poor thing had been <em>Abandoned</em> outside with <em><strong>Nothing</strong></em>.</p>
<p>-Which was sure a way for Wataru to learn she was, as far as he knew till she became old enough to work out her own gender identity, a girl.</p>
<p>The baby’s cries were weak. And being left out naked in This weather, and so Young…</p>
<p>As much as he disliked the outside world, and how potentially… disgusting a baby could be, he knew he couldn’t just leave the little girl out in This storm.</p>
<p>Uta wouldn’t be happy, but even she wouldn’t be willing to leave a baby out in the cold.</p><hr/>
<p>Utaya Kurenai had put up with a Lot in her life.</p>
<p>Her father Otoya being a con artist and sexual harassment lawsuit waiting to happen, among who Knows what else. Wataru’s mother running off and leaving a Thirteen year old and a Bat monster to raise <em>Her</em> son.</p>
<p>Making sure her Hikikomori of a half brother didn’t die Or get accused of wrongdoings usually, as becoming More withdrawn than he already was wouldn’t help anyone.</p>
<p>
  <em>(Seriously, his relationship with Shizuka was Going to get the cops called on him if nothing changed, the neighbours couldn’t believe he was a ghost forever)</em>
</p>
<p>So Wataru, all bundled up as he usually was. Due to thinking he was allergic to the world</p>
<p>(He really <em>wasn’t</em> but she wasn’t going to take the chance of being <em>wrong</em> about it, he wasn’t Fully human after all. Maybe it was a fangire thing? She had no idea. All she had was Kivat and he wasn’t exactly the same Species as Wataru - nor did he have… All of the facts here)</p>
<p>Wataru returning home with his Assortment of ingredients for violin varnish <em>And</em> an infant was not exactly something she wanted, or needed to Handle right now.</p>
<p>It didn’t help that said infant looked like they’d been left out in the cold. In late December as it currently was, at that.</p>
<p>“Nii-chan, <em>What the <strong>Fuck.</strong></em>” said Uta.</p>
<p>It took Wataru multiple minutes to answer, he was severely anxious after all.</p>
<p>“I… I… couldn’t exactly just leave a Baby out in this weather.”</p>
<p>Uta put her face in her hand, and gave a tired sigh before she spoke again.</p>
<p>“…Alright. I’ll go get some milk and stuff… like clothes, fucking hell the poor thing. And I’ll check missing persons posters. You, meanwhile, need to go bundle the kid in some blankets.”</p>
<p>“Wouldn’t a bath-”</p>
<p>“Not in this case, nii-chan.”</p>
<p>The things she did for her beloved baby brother.</p><hr/>
<p>Wataru knew this was a Lot to ask of his sister, but; as much as he hated (And got anxious about) the outside world…</p>
<p>He still had standards, and it Had been <em>very</em> cold.</p>
<p>He held the baby close, feeding her from a bottle.</p>
<p>Wataru was bundled up, he didn’t trust himself to Not have an allergic reaction to the baby, he also knew that babies tended to do a lot of disgusting things, and didn’t want to risk it.</p><hr/>
<p>The baby looked at him, not being the type to sleep through the night yet, and still very weak.</p>
<p>He awkwardly smiled at her. (You did that with babies, right?)</p>
<p>She snuggled against his shirt, clearly trying to find some warmth.</p>
<p>He flinched and removed his coat and his gloves. It wasn’t everything, but She needed to warm up somehow. He also wrapped her in the coat. It was thick. It couldn’t hurt.</p><hr/>
<p>Utaya found Wataru the next morning asleep, with the baby resting against his chest.</p><hr/>
<p>“…I think I want to call her Ayame.”</p>
<p>“Ayame… Iris, that’s ‘good tidings’ in hanakotoba, right? Well, you did find her on xmas.”</p><hr/>
<p>“Wataru- that’s a baby. Wataru, what did I miss while I was sick?!”</p>
<p>“…I found her.”</p>
<p>“Out in the snow, at that.” Utaya added.</p>
<p>“Ah, how wonderfully soft hearted of you both. She’s cute, too! If only I had hands to hold her…”</p>
<p>Ayame cooed and stared at Kivat, and tried to reach out towards him as he flew out of reach.</p>
<p>“I’M A GRANDPA!”</p><hr/>
<p>“But nee-san-”</p>
<p>“Nii-chan. She’s probably not sickly like you, she can be exposed a little. Don’t cover her face.”</p>
<p>“…Can I at least bundle her up?”</p>
<p>“Within reason, but yeah, that should be fine. Besides, it’s <em>Good</em> for her to be exposed to this stuff, so she can get her defenses up. Along with getting vaccinations.” said Utaya, as she checked the internet.</p>
<p>Neither sibling was very tech savvy. But they did know enough to look up things, thanks largely to Shizuka, so they had a Name for a few of Wataru’s issues. …Even if it was self diagnosed.</p>
<p>Namely; Anxiety and Autism.</p>
<p>Utaya felt bad for her little brother, he’d asked for neither of these, and now he was trying to look after a baby, on top of becoming more self confident.</p>
<p>She wished she could have been a better older sister to him. She wondered how Nogami-san, at Milk Dipper, managed it. She’d heard the other woman’s parents had died when they were young after all…</p><hr/>
<p>“WATARUUU!”</p>
<p>Utaya went quiet as Kivat flew by.</p>
<p>“Kivat! What’s going on, why are you Outside?!”</p>
<p>Kivat rarely ever left the house during the day.</p>
<p>“I think you-and Ayame-chan, might need to come and watch this!”</p><hr/>
<p>Wataru stared at the monster, some sort of stained glass and animal hybrid.</p>
<p>Kivat flew to him. “There’s no real way to explain this so-”</p>
<p>With Kivat suddenly biting his hand, stained glass like markings appeared on Wataru.</p>
<p>Then, as if compelled, and like he’d been waiting all his life, he called out a single word.</p>
<p>“HENSHIN!”</p>
<p>And so, for the first time, Wataru Kurenai became Kamen Rider Kiva.</p>
<p>Utaya, who was holding Ayame, noted that this Kiva looked… Different than the one she’d seen before. This one was bulky, and red, and covered in chains.</p>
<p>She wondered why.</p><hr/>
<p>“…Nee-san, Shizuka…” began Wataru, also looking over at the violin Kivat usually stayed in when Shizuka was here.</p>
<p>“Yeah?”</p>
<p>“I… I want to change.”</p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>2008</strong>
</p>
<p>Utaya didn’t get to find out <em>how</em> Nogami-san had managed raising her own younger brother.</p>
<p>“I’m not going to Milk Dipper anymore. …And you shouldn’t go there, either.”</p>
<p>“...But I thought you liked it-”</p>
<p>“Not anymore… It’s… complicated.”</p><hr/>
<p>“Well, I figured you’d get into trouble for the varnish stuff eventually, nii-chan.”</p>
<p>“Nee-san?!”</p>
<p>The woman ripped off her hairnet.</p>
<p>It was Utaya.</p>
<p>“Hi, I’m his sister- and the baby’s aunt. You’re <em>Very</em> lucky he really <em>isn’t</em> super allergic to being outside. -But seriously, the baby is fine.” she said, with a cold tone, to the other woman.</p><hr/>
<p>“Nee-san. Why didn’t You tell me about Father… being… like that.”</p>
<p>“Because you didn’t deserve to find out about it from me. You and Kivat were all I had, Wataru.”</p><hr/>
<p>“Wataru, Nii-chan. Trust me, you Really don’t want to meet our dad. You really… Really don’t want to meet him.” said Utaya, with a distant look on her face as she remembered the past. “…You also really, really shouldn’t have Ayame around him.”</p>
<p>“I’d still like to know him, and Ayame should know her adoptive grandpa. Also… what about your mother?”</p><hr/>
<p>“That was over 20 years ago, I’m sure your mother’s changed since then.”</p>
<p>“I said No, Wataru.”</p><hr/>
<p>Utaya ended up going to see her biological mother anyway, with Wataru and his adopted daughter Ayame joining her as well.</p>
<p>“Hi… Mom-”</p>
<p>“Get Out of my Life! I should have aborted you! So You’d Stop Turning Up to Torment me!” Yelled the woman before slapping her estranged daughter and slamming the door in her face.</p><hr/>
<p>“Nee-san!”</p>
<p>Utaya continued walking, an empty look in her eyes, facing away from Wataru.</p>
<p>“Nee-san, please I’m Sorry-”</p>
<p>“You tried your best nii-chan, it’s okay.”</p>
<p>She turned to smile at him. It had never looked as forced as it did now.</p>
<p>Wataru Kurenai could only feel guilt for what he’d just put his sister through.</p><hr/>
<p>Uta’s depression worsened.</p>
<p>Her practice that night ended in the sounds of a violin being smashed, and a yell of “<em><strong>WHAT’S THE FUCKING POINT?!</strong></em>”</p>
<p>Wataru felt Incredibly Guilty.</p><hr/>
<p>His already incredible guilt only intensified when he found her books of sheet music in the trash the next garbage day.</p>
<p>He fished them out, at the very least he could keep them safe until she felt better.</p>
<p>…If she felt better.</p><hr/>
<p>As he worked, Wataru noticed Ayame staring at him, sucking on her pacifier. “…Do you want to know what I’m doing?”</p>
<p>The baby said nothing, as she was a baby, a baby with something in her mouth.</p>
<p>“…I… I’m going to try to fix Nee-san’s violin, too.”</p>
<p>Ayame went back to her regular baby activities. Which was a relief for Wataru, he didn’t need another family member having awful awful problems.</p>
<p>Especially with how his own efforts to surpass the Bloody Rose kept ending in failures. Failures which he normally then burnt outside.</p><hr/>
<p>Wataru was never great at pulling himself away from his violin work. But he at least tried to make sure raising Ayame wasn’t All left to his sister. That would be awful.</p>
<p>And the baby needed him.</p><hr/>
<p>“…I’m still upset but… are you and Aso-san alright?”</p>
<p>Wataru nodded.</p>
<p>“Look, our dad was. A giant asshole. The best thing he ever did was have you. And maybe one of our other step-siblings. They can’t all be as bad as Ozaki-san is.”</p>
<p>“H-how many do we have?”</p>
<p>“…A lot. He charmed a <em>Lot</em> of women, Wataru.”</p>
<p>A beat passed.</p>
<p>“Nii-chan, you don’t have to apologize to me like the people trying to sue him.”</p><hr/>
<p>Ayame pat at the failed Violin.</p>
<p>Wataru moved her hand off it. “No, this one isn’t good either.”</p>
<p>Ayame nodded and babbled.</p>
<p>“Be good while I go deal with these.” He wasn’t much of a talker, but he’d gotten better with his daughter.</p><hr/>
<p>Wataru was burning yet another failed violin outside.</p>
<p>He was Still failing in his efforts.</p>
<p>“It’s No Good. Maybe this was all just a waste of time. I feel like I’m just stuck in the same spot.” said Wataru, which was also a big mood for the author as she transcribed this line in 2021.</p>
<p>“This is no good! It’s all for nothing! What’s the point? Why Bother?” continued Wataru, pulling his hands through his hair in frustration</p><hr/>
<p>Uta watched as her brother talked and bonded with Oomura about violins.</p>
<p>“…Why does he seem… familiar?”</p><hr/>
<p>“I know you’re an amazing person, Oomura-san. But…” Wataru hesitated. “I want to make a violin by myself. I don’t want to rely on anyone else. I want to make one as great as my father’s.”</p>
<p>“I see. That’s good.” Oomura nodded, before turning to Wataru. “I have one request, though. May i see this violin that your father made?”</p><hr/>
<p>Wataru handed the Bloody Rose to Oomura, who had been reminiscing.</p>
<p>“You… shouldn’t try to make something like this.”</p>
<p>“What do you mean?”</p>
<p>“You should try to make your own violin. Something unique to yourself.”</p>
<p>“Something Unique…?”</p>
<p>“Take care” said the man, turning to leave.</p>
<p>“Please Wait!” Said Wataru Loudly.</p>
<p>“Please Teach me. I’d be more than grateful if you could instruct me!” said Wataru, bowing.</p><hr/>
<p>“What do you mean?! Why can’t I have IXA?! Please, help me understand.”</p>
<p>“Because I am Obviously superior, my physical abilities alone outstrip yours as does my intelligence” said Nago. “Please Give up.”</p>
<p>(Somewhere in the distance, Uta felt the urge to fight a man.)</p>
<p>“Okay Okay, you’re right about those. You’re also a much bigger hypocrite than I am! Yeah you’re pretty amazing.”</p>
<p>“IXA decides who wields its Power” said Nago, who was wrong. “If you have a problem please direct your complaints at IXA.”</p><hr/>
<p>While Oomura was training Wataru on violin construction, Shizuka proceeded to trip twice while carrying tea. The commotion caused Oomura to have to suddenly leave.</p>
<p>Kivat commented that it seemed suspicious.</p>
<p>Uta looked up at him. “I mean, that Is what sensory overload looks like, Kivat.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, but it doesn’t usually happen that fast with humans.”</p><hr/>
<p>On another day, Wataru continued to construct a violin with Oomura’s help. While bending a piece, Wataru spoke up. “Umm.”</p>
<p>“What is it?”</p>
<p>“Do you make any violins yourself?</p>
<p>“I used to.” said Oomura, looking wistfully at the Bloody Rose for a moment. “Let’s continue.”</p>
<p>“Okay.”</p><hr/>
<p>“The IXA system?” asked Nago, who had been dragged to Megumi’s usual Izakaya. She was clearly trying to bribe him with food in order to get to use IXA.</p>
<p>He did not fall for this, and began trying to leave. “How many times must I tell you? It’s impossible.”</p>
<p>“But we won’t know ‘till I try. Didn’t you say Confidence is good enough? Shouldn’t everyone get a fair chance?” Megumi begged, and continuing to do so while Nago tried to figure out how to get out of the cramped space.</p>
<p>“I thought you were the kind of man to do at <em>Least</em> that much.”</p>
<p>“I refuse. There is no point in letting you try. IXA is obviously mine. Anyways, this is not an appropriate venue for requesting favours. Please learn some manners.”</p>
<p>And then he left to go do some totally-not-bounty-hunting.</p><hr/>
<p>“Hey Wataru, that Oomura guy seems dangerous. He’s definitely not your average human.”</p>
<p>“What are you saying? He’s my teacher. Stop being weird.”</p>
<p>“I know but…” said Kivat, right as the Bloody Rose began to sound.</p><hr/>
<p>And then it turned out the fangire of the week… Was Oomura-san.</p>
<p>“You’re…?!” began Oomura, before trying to escape, limping heavily.</p>
<p>He did not make it far before being found by Nago again.</p>
<p>Then, Nago transformed for the first time.</p>
<p>“Fangire, please return that wicked life to the Lord,” said Nago, being incredibly Catholic.</p><hr/>
<p>This did not end in being murdered for Oomura, as Wataru JUMPED IN THE PATH OF THE GUNFIRE TO PUSH HIM OUT OF THE WAY.</p>
<p>After Wataru yelled at Oomura to escape, thankfully Nago had enough of a soul to not attack an untransformed Wataru.</p>
<p>Detransforming, Nago stomped up to Wataru. “Do you know what you’ve done?!”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry.”</p>
<p>“Why? Why did you let him escape?!”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Wataru bowed deeply in apology, but Nago didn’t stop.</p>
<p>“I am asking why you let him go! ANSWER ME!”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry! I’m truly sorry!”</p>
<p>“Forget it. Don’t you dare show your face in front of me ever again!”</p>
<p>Uta who was hanging back, felt the urge to throw a shoe at him, but relented, because Nago did not in fact have all the facts with regards to her brother.</p>
<p>And then, it clicked where she had seen This fangire before.</p><hr/>
<p>“Hey Uta…?”</p>
<p>Utaya was muttering to herself quietly, racking her brain. “…I forgot Oomura-san. I can’t believe I forgot about Oomura-san…”</p>
<p>“Nee-san?”</p>
<p>“Look, it’s better if you find out stuff from him, but honestly for once it’s not bad news.”</p><hr/>
<p>Uta attempted to think back more to those times. She had still been reeling from her mother’s First rejection of her, so it was hard to remember. She had been fairly out of it at the time.</p>
<p>Otoya had been trying to get Yuri to stop playing the violin Terribly.</p>
<p>He’d been dunked in the ocean for his efforts.</p><hr/>
<p>On yet another day, Wataru’s violin work under Oomura’s supervision continued. “Oomura-san… I don’t think of you as a fangire.”</p>
<p>“I feel the same.”</p>
<p>“So, do you attack people?”</p>
<p>“I have not eaten a human for 22 years. Honest.”</p>
<p>Wataru looked up at the man. “Why did you stop attacking them?”</p>
<p>“I made a promise to a certain man,” he said, as he turned to look meaningfully at the Bloody Rose.</p>
<p>“I had made a violin called Black Star. It was truly a masterpiece. I Poured my soul into its creation.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>1986</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“That Violin, give it back. Give back my violin…” said Oomura, as he ripped off his sunglasses dramatically. “The Black Star!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>And then Otoya Kurenai Bodily tackled him.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>It ended poorly, with Otoya and Yuri Aso being thrown down a flight of stairs, before Jiro drove the Fangire off.</em>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <em>Otoya had swapped Black Star out for a different violin case, one that was filled with children’s toys.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>It was easy for him. He had quite a bit of experience in trickery.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>There had been heated drama between Otoya and Jiro as well.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>-Otoya had in fact been <strong>Joking</strong>, when he suggested his daughter to Jiro in Yuri’s place.</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>2008</strong>
</p>
<p>“Was Black Star Really such a great violin?”</p>
<p>“Yes. But it had not been blessed with good owners. It was usually in the possession of human collectors or third-rate violinists. I could not allow Black star to be owned by such people.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>1986</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Are you a fangire?” asked Otoya, while he marveled over Black Star. “What’s wrong? Aren’t you going to attack me?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I want to know. It was I who created Black Star. Are you worthy of it?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“You made this violin? That’s impressive… for a monster. But if that’s why you attack people, I should just end it by destroying this.” said Otoya, before attempting to do just that.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>But he was unable to bring himself to.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“What’s wrong? Aren’t you going to do it?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“It’s not guilty of anything,” said Otoya with a slight sigh, before inspecting the violin further.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Can you play? Then play.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“No way. There is a time to play a violin, and there is a time to listen to one. I will decide when it’s time” said Otoya, taking out his own violin because he was just like that. “Anyways, mine isn’t in good shape right now. It shakes a bit on the high notes.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I’ll fix that violin of yours. In exchange for hearing you play.”</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>2008</strong>
</p>
<p>“Hey, Oomura-san. You won’t attack anymore people, right?”</p>
<p>“Correct.”</p>
<p>“It’ll be okay, right?”</p>
<p>Oomura nodded, with a wistful tone. “Hearing that man play changed me.”</p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>1986</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Did you fix it?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“The sound post was damaged, but it’s in perfect condition now.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>And then Otoya played that one specific song that seems to be Kiva’s go-to for violin music.</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>2008</strong>
</p>
<p><em>“It touched my body… No… it shook my soul.”</em> He held up his aged walkman To Wataru. <em>“Hearing this music helps me suppress my urges to attack.</em>”</p>
<p>Wataru then listened to his father’s music for the first time. <em>“It’s amazing. So soft and warm. This skill and style. This is… my dad?”</em></p>
<p>
  <em>“That’s right. I originally heard this piece in this very room, 22 years ago. I made a promise to your father.”</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>1986</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Finally… I have found someone worthy of the Black Star. Please Cherish it.” said Oomura, having finally found good music food.</em>
</p>
<p><em>“I am not meant to own this. It’s not seeking me. Sorry.”</em> Otoya quietly apologized.</p>
<p>
  <em>“I see. I think someday you will produce a famous instrument. If you become a true violinist, you surely will.”</em>
</p>
<p><em>“I don’t know about that.”</em> Otoya sprang to his feet. <em>“Anyway, what should I do with you? I can’t just leave you like this.”</em></p>
<p>
  <em>“I won’t attack humans anymore.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“HAH! How can I believe the words of a monster?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I can endure as long as I have your music. Your playing suppresses my appetite. It’s True!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Can you promise that?”</em>
</p>
<p>Otoya gave Oomura a serious look, as Oomura nodded firmly.</p><hr/>
<p>
  <em>“I have been reborn. From now on, I will live through your music.” Oomura thought to himself, as he gently placed the bricked down violin in the sea, having rowed out in the fog to do so.</em>
</p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>2008</strong>
</p>
<p>“What do you want? I told you to never show your face to me again.”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, but there was something I wanted to ask you, Nago-san. <em>Since it’s not like nee-san will tell me in detail…</em> What exactly are Fangires? I sometimes wonder, are all Fangires really our enemies?”</p>
<p>“They are humanity's natural enemy. Don’t you understand?”</p>
<p>“But… Maybe some Fangires don’t attack humans. Or Maybe a Kind fangire…”</p>
<p>“That is not Possible! Evil is Evil!”</p>
<p>“Not everything can be judged that way...”</p>
<p>“Shut up! What do you know, you buffoon?!” Nago snapped, getting to his feet. “I am Always Right! I am <em>Never</em> wrong!” With that, he stormed off.</p>
<p>“Nago-san…”</p><hr/>
<p>“Well fuck you too, buddy,” said Uta, hating herself for having not been able to bring herself to break her baby brother’s heart by explaining Fangire properly to him.</p>
<p>
  <em>Or explaining who his friend had been, so very long ago.</em>
</p>
<p>She followed Nago.</p><hr/>
<p>Nago came across Oomura being overwhelmed by sensory overload, his walkman and headphones having been dropped on the ground.</p>
<p>“A fangire who is fond of music? How Absurd!” said Nago, before being an asshole and crushing the walkman under his heel, destroying it.</p>
<p>“What are you doing?!”</p><hr/>
<p>“That old man sure is a strange Fangire.”</p>
<p>“It’s nice to know that even Fangire can be wonderful people, though.”</p>
<p>And then the Bloody rose Sounded off.</p>
<p>It was time to be Kiva again.</p>
<p>Wataru attempted to resist the call, hurriedly trying to finish clamping the violin he was currently working on. He couldn’t just leave it mid-process, if the wood didn’t fuse together evenly it’d all go to waste.</p>
<p>“Hey, Wataru! What are you doing?! Wataru! Lets Go! What are you <em>Doing</em>?!”</p><hr/>
<p>“Oomura-san! Why?! Please stop, Oomura-san!” Wataru pleaded to the rampaging Fangire.</p>
<p>“Hey! Stop him!” said Kivat, right as he was grabbed to transform Wataru into Kiva.</p>
<p>For the first time he could remember, Wataru spoke while being Kiva. “What’s wrong, Oomura-san?! Didn’t you Promise my father you would stop doing this?! Please, Remember your promise! Oomura-san! Please!”</p>
<p>Wataru’s cries sadly fell on deaf ears.</p>
<p>“Oomura-san...”</p>
<p>Even as he continued to try… Even to the point of physically holding the other man back.</p>
<p>“Oomura-san! Sto…” began Wataru again, before he was knocked back into some boxes.</p>
<p>Even so, he continued to try to get through to his friend.</p>
<p>“What are you doing Wataru! Nevermind! I’ll go!” said Kivat as he went to attack Oomura-san.</p>
<p>“Stop it… Stop it… Stop it…” said Wataru, wanting there to be any other way.</p>
<p>But there wasn’t, the world was cruel.</p>
<p>“<em>STOP IT</em>!”</p>
<p>And yet, even when he went to rider kick the man…</p>
<p>He couldn’t. He missed his kick, landing several meters behind him.</p>
<p>Oomura-san ran off before Wataru could turn around.</p><hr/>
<p>“Fangire, please return your wicked life to the Lord.”</p><hr/>
<p>Wataru ran over to Oomura-san, calling his name repeatedly.</p>
<p>The man staggered, before collapsing against a tree, near to the standard Fangire death of shattering to pieces.</p>
<p>“Do we really have to part ways so soon? I don’t know what to do! You still have so much to teach me, Oomura-san.”</p>
<p>“You can do it. Believe in your own strength. You carry your father’s greatness within you.”</p>
<p>“Oomura-san…”</p>
<p>“It’s alright… After all, I couldn’t keep my promise to your father… It’s my fault…” said the man, before forcing himself to walk away.</p>
<p>Walking into the water to shatter and die, the shards that remained of him sinking down to the bottom, together with the Black Star.</p><hr/>
<p>Nago was walking away, having finished off another fangire, missing Wataru running over to Oomura-san.</p>
<p>A woman glared at him. She resembled Wataru.</p>
<p>“He didn’t eat anyone.”</p>
<p>“That doesn’t matter, a sin is still a sin.”</p>
<p>“He spent <em><strong>22</strong></em> Years not Eating Anyone.”</p>
<p>“And yet he still-”</p>
<p>“Do you Know what a Panic attack is? Better yet, do you know how Awful they are?”</p>
<p>“Why should I <em>care</em> about what sinners-”</p>
<p>She grabbed his collar and yanked him down.</p>
<p>“Let me be straight with you. I hated my father, but this was one of the fucking Few good things he’d ever, <em>Ever</em> done with his life. Oomura-san was <em>trying his best</em>. And you Killed him. You Killed him for panicking over being overwhelmed by noise.”</p>
<p>“He had a record for violence.”</p>
<p>“Yeah and guess Fucking What, we don’t <em><strong>Murder</strong></em> People for it, <em>Bounty Hunter</em>.”</p><hr/>
<p>“Hey, Uta. Are you Alright?” Kivat hovers near her, worried.</p>
<p>“No, I… Otoya was shitty, but… he’d gotten the guy to stop. For 22 years…”</p>
<p>“Your father sounds like a complicated person.”</p>
<p>“He was a jackass, you don’t need to sugar coat it. I might not remember All of it. But I remember enough.”</p><hr/>
<p>“Get out of his body, get out of his body, get out of his body!”</p>
<p>“Uta-chan-”</p>
<p>“<em><strong>GET OUT OF HIS BODY, OTOYA!</strong></em>”</p><hr/>
<p>Much to Uta’s irritation, Otoya had actually been of <em>some</em> help, despite his being in her brothers body.</p>
<p>Megumi, her confidence regained thanks to Otoya’s help, threw the IXA knuckle to Nago.</p>
<p>Utaya intercepted it. “After what you did last week, I think <em>you’ve </em>earned a break from this.”</p>
<p>With glares at both Nago and at her father, Uta slammed the IXA knuckle into action.</p>
<p>“<em><strong>HENSHIN.</strong></em>”</p>
<p>(Granted, Nago had exactly no context for why she was so angry at him. He had no idea that the beatdown he delivered to Kiva had, in fact, been to Wataru.)</p><hr/>
<p>“So, I think I might be Ixa now.”</p>
<p>“That’s great! HEY, WATARU, LETS CELEBRATE!” yelled Kivat.</p><hr/>
<p>“Nee-chan? Why are we going to a temple?”</p>
<p>“I am making damn sure you aren’t possessed again. <em>I’m not dealing with Dad again. I can’t go back to that shit.</em>”</p>
<p>“Also… why <em>are</em> you IXA Now?”</p>
<p>“…I basically intercepted it from Nago. …It… I want to fight by your side, nii-chan.”</p>
<p>“Do you really want to?”</p>
<p>“Of course, doing that kick together with you was incredible.” She pauses. “…Also, Wataru, I know you’ve been a tad absent lately, but you didn’t Need to bring Ayame with you.”</p>
<p>“Well, it’s still a nice temple. She should be able to see it. There’s a lot she should see, actually, now that I think about it.”</p><hr/>
<p>Ayame did, in fact, seem to enjoy it, once Wataru had been definitively exorcised.</p>
<p>Utaya thanked the priest, a man by the name of Onari.</p>
<p>-She then hurriedly went to also go stop Wataru from hunting for varnish here.</p>
<p>“NII-CHAN- NII-CHAN!! YOU’LL GET US CURSED!”</p><hr/>
<p>“So, how was the buddist temple?”</p>
<p>“Pretty nice actually. Wataru tried to find more varnish stuff. But it really was nice. I feel for the poor guy in charge now though, the previous guy died a few years ago, and he’s basically raising his kid now too. -Which, god, I can relate.”</p>
<p>“Hey, you’ve got me.” Kivat landed next to Utaya.</p>
<p>Utaya gave a small smile. “I think you’ve done a better job than I ever did.”</p>
<p>“You have hands though, can’t exactly cook without those.” Kivat flaps one wing in her direction to emphasize his point.</p>
<p>“Yeah. Wataru’s gotten pretty good, but, well, I’m pretty sure we’re on borrowed time before he puts something from his varnish attempts in the food.”</p><hr/>
<p>“I’m sorry I haven’t been around lately, Aya-chan. It’s been… bad.” said Wataru, understating how bad it had been, what with Nago, as IXA, having beaten the shit out of him two weeks ago.</p>
<p>“Things are… a mess but I’m going to try harder… okay?”</p>
<p>Ayame didn’t really respond, just stared at him as if shocked.</p>
<p>And then she touched his face. “Papa!”</p>
<p>Wataru held her closer.</p>
<p>He should absolutely introduce her to Kengo.</p><hr/>
<p>“Yo Wataru, what’s with the baby? I thought she was your niece or somethin’.”</p>
<p>“She’s.. .Mine… sort of. This is Ayame, I found her last December out in the snow.”</p>
<p>“So, you took in a baby with nowhere else to go…?”</p>
<p>Wataru’s inner anxiety went off, he didn’t want his friend to reject him.</p>
<p>And then very quietly, Kengo continued. “That is so rockin' of ya, dude…”</p>
<p>Wataru felt Very relieved. (Granted, he was still a tad weirded out by his friend’s admiration for Kiva.)</p>
<p>Ayame for her part was looking at Kengo’s long blond streak -and then she went to try grabbing it.</p>
<p>Kengo moved his hair out of the way. “Heh she’s pretty Rockin’ herself.”</p>
<p>A shame his hair quickly ended up back in grabbing range, and he Wasn’t fast enough to avoid it this time. “Also, <em>ow.</em> But she's so cool and little, I can't get mad for this. She’s gonna rock <em>so</em> hard when she’s old enough to start playing guitar!”</p>
<p>Wataru began to apologize rapidly and move to get her away from Kengo’s hair.</p>
<p>“Hey Wataru, you’re gonna be a great dad.”</p>
<p>Internally something clicked for Ayame.</p>
<p>‘<em>Ah, Two dads,</em>’ she thought.</p>
<p>“Papa, Daddy” she said out loud.</p>
<p>It was so Very Very Cute, Wataru started crying again. He still wasn’t used to being called papa by his own daughter.</p>
<p>Kengo, while also finding it Adorable, thought, ‘<em>Awww, she’s trying to figure out what’s the most rockin’ name for Wataru.”</em></p>
<p>Utaya meanwhile watched this from downstairs. She looked fondly at them, and went back to reading.</p><hr/>
<p>“Wait a minute-” said Kengo later that night after he and Wataru had parted.</p><hr/>
<p>“Hey Wataru…?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, Nee-san?”</p>
<p>“…I need to tell you something.”</p>
<p>“I do too.”</p>
<p>There was a pause as both tried to find their words, before blurting out their admissions at the same time.</p>
<p>“So I’m gay.”</p>
<p>“I’m not a boy or a girl”</p>
<p>And then, in equal unison, “<em>Oh</em>!”</p>
<p>“Shit Wataru, I’ve been calling you-. Fuck. I’m sorry-”</p>
<p>Fidgeting nervously, Wataru turned quiet. “I… I mean, I don’t mind when <em>you </em>call me your brother and stuff like that. I just… I’m not either of them.”</p>
<p>Utaya nodded. “Got it. …Nothing to say about me being gay?”</p>
<p>“…I mean, I’m pretty sure that I like Mio <em>And</em> Kengo… <em>that</em> way. And looking back, possibly Nago-san, too… So I can’t exactly judge.”</p>
<p>Utaya grinned. “Well look at <em>You,</em> falling in love~!”</p>
<p>“Nee-san!”</p><hr/>
<p>Wataru had managed to have a somewhat nice few weeks. Going on a date with a girl he liked, and trying to help her get out of her shell had helped with that.</p>
<p>That and realizing he was bisexual, and coming out to his sister about being… well, he didn’t know the exact terms.</p>
<p>Utaya meanwhile was trying to keep up a facade of being fine.</p>
<p>Something about this time of year always got to her… And then she remembered.</p>
<p>Yuri-san rejecting Jiro, Otoya helping her do so.</p>
<p>Jiro snapping in rage at Otoya.</p>
<p>Jiro transforming. It hadn’t been the first time she’d seen it.</p>
<p>Jiro Assaulting Otoya violently while she screamed.</p>
<p>Otoya being thrown into the river and being declared dead by the Wolfen.</p>
<p>Jiro declaring that Yuri, and… and… And…</p>
<p>That Yuri <em>and her</em> were both <em>His </em>now.</p>
<p>She hadn’t realized at the time what it had meant.</p>
<p>She knew now.</p>
<p>Utaya didn’t realize she’d begun screaming.</p><hr/>
<p>“NEE-SAN! NEE-SAN!”</p>
<p>“IT WASN’T A FANGIRE, IT WASN’T A FANGIRE, YURI-SAN. OH GOD YURI-SAN OH GOD HE WAS GOING TO RAPE HER AND ME IN THE FOREST OH GOD” she yelled pushing her brother away, still screaming.</p>
<p>She wasn’t seeing him.</p>
<p>Wataru didn’t know the context for any of this, he was just worried about his sister. At least she’d started saying actual words, instead of wordless screams, though he <em>really</em> didn’t like that the phrase Rape had come up.</p>
<p>He didn’t know how to help with that, either…</p>
<p>“NEE-SAN! IT’S OKAY, WHOEVER IT WAS ISN’T HERE NOW!”</p><hr/>
<p>Eventually Utaya calmed down, panting heavily.</p>
<p>She made herself some coffee, and collapsed a bit against the counter. (As always, it was incredibly bitter.)</p>
<p>“Nee-san!”</p>
<p>“It’s okay. I’m fine… just… that blue form of yours, with the sword… Just… I might panic a bit seeing it. It’s fine. I’m fine.”</p>
<p>“…You didn’t act fine.”</p>
<p>“It was 22 years ago. I’m fine, Wataru.”</p>
<p>“Do… do you want your violin?”</p>
<p>She shook her head no. “ …Not now.”</p>
<p>She didn’t need it in order to cope, she was stronger now, she thought unhealthily.</p><hr/>
<p>“Hey… are you really fine?”</p>
<p>“I’m… fine Enough. Just remembered why I get all… weird about Jiro. Is… is it stupid that I can’t forgive him for it. Even if he calmed down since than, and decided he’d be friends with Otoya.”</p>
<p>“I wouldn’t forgive him either. Now, you should go and have a bath. You might not tell Wataru things, but you do need to de-stress.”</p>
<p>“I’m <em>Fine,</em> Kivat.”</p>
<p>The bat gave her an unconvinced look before she relented.</p><hr/>
<p>…The bath really was nice.</p><hr/>
<p>“You will <em>Not</em> be going back in time.” said Jiro to Utaya, who was giving him a Look he couldn’t quite place… but considering what he’d attempted to do, he deserved it.</p>
<p>“I’d fucking hope not, <em>asshole</em>. Good luck Nago, try not to fuck this up.” she said, remembering him from the stable time loop this had made.</p><hr/>
<p>Utaya had been… ‘distracted’ lately from focusing on her brother. (Shizuka deciding to take a week to fuck with his relationship with Mio hadn’t helped.)</p>
<p>She sympathized with Megumi, not the least because Yuri had nearly been her step mother.</p>
<p>The concept of the other woman going home and getting married made her want to go “fuck you, I’ll marry her so she can keep being a soldier,” but that wouldn’t have helped. It also didn’t help that she’d just now realized how pretty the other girl was, and saying that really, <em>Really</em> wouldn’t have helped.</p>
<p>By this point she liked the younger woman, and Megumi had taken to being a ‘big sister’ to Wataru, which was nice.</p>
<p>Although…</p>
<p>Utaya didn’t know what she’d Do if <em>she</em> couldn’t be in that role, but it wasn’t like she’d done Well at it.</p>
<p>Not for the first time, Utaya wished she could remember what the Wataru from the future had told her when they’d met. But even if he said she had been good… He’d likely have been lying.</p>
<p>She hadn’t done a good job at all.</p><hr/>
<p>It had been a… stressful period, before Nago had made Wataru go yet again to Café Mald’amour.</p>
<p>Nago had, at long last, seen Wataru turn back from being Kiva.</p>
<p>A long, stressful period, which for someone with anxiety felt like an eternity.</p>
<p>“I cannot believe you were Kiva all this time. -Did your sister know? Wait, of course she must have, you live together.”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry I kept it to myself, and that Nee-san also kept it…”</p>
<p>“I was told that Kiva could Potentially be Humanity’s enemy. One of my ancestors was allegedly attacked by him… but I have to assume that was a different Kiva, somehow. You’re much too young. But… I trust in you. So long as you don’t misuse your power, or let your sister turn you astray, you’ll do fine.”</p>
<p>“Nago-san.”</p>
<p>“Become my pupil again. Train by my side, and all will be well.”</p>
<p>“But Kengo’s already your pupil, and I have a baby to raise.” Wataru protested, Ayame making baby noises and reaching up to try and grab at Nago’s shirt.</p>
<p>“That’s fine.” Nago moved Ayame’s hand away gently before continuing. “I have no more interest in him. Rather, I never did.” said Nago.</p>
<p>That was right as Kengo showed up, only to, naturally, not be happy about any of this, and feeling he couldn’t trust Wataru or Nago.</p><hr/>
<p>And then Nago remembered the Time Door.</p>
<p>No, there was no way that had been Wataru.</p><hr/>
<p>“I will defeat Rook. I’m sure you can find another job.” said Nago to Megumi, who had been searching through her mothers notes on Rook to find any possible weak point he might have.</p>
<p>“…You keep having the IXA knuckle literally stolen, will you really?”</p>
<p>“…”</p>
<p>“…Please, Nago, let me use IXA. I want to carry out my mother’s wishes.”</p>
<p>“Denied. You’re not a soldier for anyone else’s wishes. Not even your own mother’s. Even Kurenai is doing this for her own will, even as ill suited to being IXA as she is.”</p>
<p>“You don’t get it, Do you?! My Mother’s Wish <em>IS</em> my Wish. It’s not for someone else’s wishes. I <em>Want</em> to slay Rook, because I’m a soldier! So, please… give IXA to me.”</p>
<p>“I will slay Rook.” said Nago, who was cruising for having the IXA Knuckle stolen by Uta. <em>Again.</em></p><hr/>
<p>“What’s wrong, Wataru?”</p>
<p>“My friend hates me. And Nee-san’s been getting really distant. I don’t think we’ll ever make up.”</p>
<p>“I mean, I’m sure if you talk it out… he likes Ayame-chan, too,” said Mio, trying to help and pointing out Wataru’s sleeping daughter.</p>
<p>“As soon as I make a friend, things always seem to go wrong. It happened once before.” said Wataru, flashing back to his time with his friend Taiga.</p>
<p>“I wonder where Taiga is… and what he’s doing now,” murmured Wataru, before looking up and seeing that Mio was gone.</p>
<p>He had no way of knowing she’d been taken by Bishop, to be told what her duties as Queen of the Fangires were. Namely, eliminate the Fangires who fell in love with Humans, and defend them from Kiva.</p>
<p>The new King fangire also arrived.</p><hr/>
<p>Uta continued to follow Megumi. Ungh, she needed to get better at talking to people… But, she’d heard Nago. She was a creep and all that, but man, at least she wasn’t <em>that</em> Catholic.</p>
<p><em>‘He’s also an incredibly easy mark.’</em> She thought, as she looked over the IXA Knuckle.</p>
<p>She was remembering more of the 1980’s, including how Yuri had sealed away Rook in the first place. Because of course she’d been there for that. Otoya was the type to bring a four year old to fights… and she’d often just followed the adults anyways. Hanging back, like she did now.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>1986</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Yuri had stolen the IXA Knuckle from Otoya and Jiro… and had gone to Rook with it.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Hey, what do you do for fun?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Here’s something Fun! Protect me!” She moved behind Rook.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Hey!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Even if he’s my enemy, I’ll use him!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“What are you thinking!?” yelled Jiro</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“What is that?” asked Rook.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Yuri held up the IXA Knuckle to him.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“This is more important than my life. They’re trying to take it from me. So I want you to protect me!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“CUT IT OUT YURI!” yelled Otoya.</em>
</p>
<p><em>“Is it that amazing?” asked Rook.</em> (Uta would say it was, if anyone asked her.)</p>
<p>
  <em>“Yeah. This has great power within it. A Power that only the chosen can use.” answered Yuri.</em>
</p>
<p>(Uta remembered wanting to be chosen. But she was only four, and her own <em>mother</em> hadn’t even wanted her, so why would a piece of machinery?)</p>
<p>
  <em>“Sounds interesting! So let me try it!” said Rook, before punching Yuri and stealing the IXA Knuckle.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“What are you doing?!” yelled Yuri.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>READY</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Henshin”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>FIST ON</em>
</p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>2008</strong>
</p>
<p>Uta shook her head. What was the use of remembering that? Besides it wasn’t like the IXA knuckle had actually had high standards, If it was able to be activated by so many. Rook had immediately transformed and beat the shit out of those monsters, including the two who’d turned up to help Jiro.</p>
<p>Though, she supposed that instead of taking time to explode, it could’ve been much more immediately deadly. For example, turning the user to ash after only a few uses. But if that was the case the device most likely wouldn’t have continued being used due to the risks, regardless of how strong it was.</p>
<p>A cat tongued man walking by Uta sneezed and felt a sudden wave of guilt.</p><hr/>
<p>Megumi was pinned by the fangire. She’d been trying to keep her little brother safe. (Her little brother who was STILL trying to get her to return home.)</p>
<p>“I can still…”</p>
<p>And then, the fangire was punched off her.</p>
<p>“Kurenai-san!”</p>
<p>“Thought I’d lend a hand.”</p>
<p>
  <em>READY</em>
</p>
<p>“Henshin!”</p>
<p>
  <em>FIST ON</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>RISING</em>
</p>
<p>Uta went to deal with the fangire.</p>
<p>As Rook turned up… asking Megumi to Slay him, because he wanted to go to heaven.</p>
<p>“Then I’ll grant your wish!”</p>
<p>Megumi then slashed uselessly at him with her usual weapon.</p>
<p>“No Good! If you can’t do it… then just disappear!” he yelled, before turning to his fangire form, and going to strangle Megumi.</p>
<p>“Mom… Give me… the Strength…”</p>
<p>Uta grit her teeth inside of the armor.</p>
<p>Why the hell couldn’t she Do anything more than this?</p>
<p>She was 27. And she was still as useless as ever.</p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>1986</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The IXA Knuckle chimed. It was time for the backlash, Rook being forced out of the transformation</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“You fell for our trap. We were waiting for that” said Yuri.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Looks like you were fooled!” said Ramon.</em>
</p>
<p>Uta had said nothing. She’d also been fooled, because she was a child.</p>
<p>“<em>Rampage with this for too long, and that’s what you get.” </em></p>
<p>
  <em>“You Rats!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Rook had roared and ripped off his jacket, transforming into his fangire state</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Let Teacher show Kitty how it’s done.” Said Otoya, the author wishing she was not directly quoting, Uta also wishing she had continued to not remember him saying that.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>READY</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Henshin”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>FIST ON</em>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <em>“DO IT YURI!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Yuri had slashed at Rook with her sword.</em>
</p>
<p>In the present, Megumi blasted Rook off of her, with her usual weapon, refusing to die here, like this.</p>
<p>“Megumi-san!”</p>
<p>Oh thank god Wataru was here now. Good. Uta wasn’t anywhere close to being at the top of her game right now.</p>
<p>“How dare you hurt Modigiliani Lady! We’ll finish you now!” said Kivat.</p>
<p>Kiva fought Rook off of Megumi, changing into his golden form. His <em>true</em> form, the one that Uta always felt a feeling of dread seeing. Maybe it was because it was the form the little brother she remembered had used.</p>
<p>But it at least gave her some piece of mind to not be fighting alone right now.</p>
<p>“I can go to heaven later. For now a new game starts! IXA! I will defeat you!”</p>
<p>Uta glared under the helmet, while continuing to remember the past.</p>
<p>Tanking Rook’s blasts and stabbing him through, blasting him as well.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Yuri!” said Otoya, before transforming back.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Otoya?!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Oto?” questioned Uta.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Finish him off” said Otoya.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He tossed Yuri the Ixa Knuckle.</em>
</p>
<p>“Kurenai-san!”</p>
<p>Oh, Uta understood now.</p>
<p>“Megumi. Finish his ass off.” Utaya tossed Megmi the Ixa knuckle.</p>
<p>Megumi did not toss it to Nago, who had just turned up.</p>
<p>For the first and likely only time Megumi Aso became Kamen Rider IXA.</p>
<p>
  <em>In the past, Yuri became Kamen Rider Ixa for the first time.</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p>
<p>Uta smiled, seeing the present, and remembering the past.</p>
<p>After so long,</p>
<p>the Aso family would have their vengeance.</p><hr/>
<p>“Mother, Give me the strength I need!”</p><hr/>
<p>
  <em>In the past, Yuri pulled Rook’s hand off of her, slamming the knuckle into his shoulder.</em>
</p>
<p>In the present, Megumi blasted at Rook.</p>
<p>“<em>The wound mom left on your shoulder…</em>” Megumi thought, continuing to remember her deceased mother.</p>
<p>“<em>Here I Go, Mom!</em>”</p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>1986</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I won’t Die. I’ll Return someday. The Game will continue!” yelled Rook, as Yuri transformed back.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Remember One thing. No Matter How many times you’re revived, I will defeat you.” she said, panting from the exertion.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Even if I’m gone from this world… My Spirit will defeat you!”</em>
</p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>2008</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <em>IXA CALIBUR: RISE UP</em>
</p><hr/>
<p>“I did it. I did it, Mom.”</p><hr/>
<p>Utaya stared at Megumi.</p>
<p>Rook was dead at last. Megumi had avenged her mother, and her grandmother.</p>
<p>Utaya placed a hand to her chest.</p>
<p>What <em>was</em> this feeling, she’d been into girls and women before but this was… different.</p>
<p>She’d deal with that later, Uta thought as Megumi ran to her brother.</p>
<p>-Aw, shit! Wataru and Nago!</p>
<p>-Wait, why wasn’t Nago flying off the handle at Kiva? What the Hell had she Missed?</p>
<p>
  <em>WAKE UP FEVER</em>
</p>
<p><em>‘Oh well, Wataru has at least this much of things handled.’</em> Uta thought in the split second before Wataru was attacked by- that looked like Maya, but Blue- aw, crap.</p><hr/>
<p>Utaya and Megumi looked at one another.</p>
<p>Utaya was unable to find her words, she didn’t know what to say, and nothing would come out.</p>
<p>“I can’t give you Ixa back.”</p>
<p>Whatever she’d been trying to say, the moment was lost now.</p>
<p>“Ah, well. I guess I’ll steal it again, if I need to.”</p>
<p>It was fine. She had more problems, it didn’t matter that she had missed her chance here.</p><hr/>
<p>Megumi stared at Utaya.</p>
<p>The other woman sat, enjoying her coffee. “What?”</p>
<p>And then Megumi was lifting her hair away from her face, causing Utaya to blush. “Wow, you’re… really pretty, I can’t believe you’re 27.”</p>
<p>Utaya made a flustered noise and moved her head out of the way.</p><hr/>
<p>Taiga turning back up into Wataru’s life was sure something.</p>
<p>She’d never been able to Tell Wataru that they were half brothers.</p>
<p>She’d known about him, though. She’d spent years with Maya before the woman had fucked off to who knows where.</p>
<p>…The fact that Taiga was apparently Mio’s <em>fiance</em> didn’t help, either.</p>
<p>She didn’t know how to help or what to do. This all just gave her flashbacks to when she’d been four.</p><hr/>
<p>“…A Cave. You were Living in a Fucking Cave.”</p>
<p>“Uta-”</p>
<p>“We were <em>Kids</em>, <em><strong>Taiga </strong></em>was a kid. And you went and left and hid in a <em><strong>Cave.</strong></em>”</p>
<p>“I was being hunted down, and don’t talk about-”</p>
<p>“I have every fucking right to talk about my step brother! Especially when <em><strong>YOU’RE IN THE SAME FUCKING AREA AS YOU WERE LIVING BEFORE!</strong></em>”</p>
<p>“…Nee-san… did… did you know he was…?”</p>
<p>“…Yes, I knew… I just didn’t know how to tell you. I never knew anything…”</p><hr/>
<p>“So, what exactly was going on with-”</p>
<p>“Turns out Wataru’s deadbeat mom was in a Fucking Cave this Entire time.”</p>
<p>“Huh, the Queen’s still alive… I wonder if dad’s still around too.”</p>
<p>“-Oh my god, the red one was Your dad, Kivat I’m so sorry.”</p>
<p>“Don’t apologize. Dad’s Dad, and I’m me.” Kivat shrugged, as best as a bat demon can without proper shoulders. “I was at least an Adult when the Queen sent me to go stay with you and Wataru.”</p>
<p>“…Did she tell you anything about us?”</p>
<p>“She did not. I mean, beyond Wataru being… well.”</p>
<p>“…Yeah.”</p>
<p>“Beyond wishing you two were happier, I wouldn’t turn this down, Wataru’s a good Kiva, and you’re a good IXA and sister.”</p>
<p>“I don’t… Feel like a good sister.”</p>
<p>“Considering how young you were for a human? You did the best you could’ve.”</p><hr/>
<p>Utaya Glared at Maya. “You had <em><strong>Twelve Years</strong></em>, where the <em>Fuck</em> were you?!” She gave an angered sigh. “Try and come by anyways. <em><strong>Wataru</strong></em> doesn’t really know about Exactly how fucking Shitty you were.”</p><hr/>
<p>Wataru, who had just learned that he was half fangire, and had just gone on a rampage, looked at his daughter. She was still so small and young.</p>
<p>And he… he was a fangire.</p>
<p>And he’d hurt his friends, and his sister.</p>
<p>She couldn’t be near him.</p>
<p>No one could be near him.</p>
<p>He wasn’t safe.</p><hr/>
<p>Wataru handed Ayame, who was deeply upset and crying, over to Shizuka, and told her to get out.</p>
<p>He had to board up the house. He couldn’t be seen by anyone.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Nee-san had been in bed the last few days.</p>
<p>He’d hurt her so badly. He… he couldn’t force her to leave.</p><hr/>
<p>“Hey Kivat, Tatsulot. I should’ve… mentioned this earlier but… I’m not a man. I’m… not a woman either. I don’t know how I feel yet but, you can still call me a ‘he’. That part is fine.”</p>
<p>“Can we still help you grow stronger?”</p>
<p>Wataru nodded.</p>
<p>“A strong person’s a strong person,” said Kivat, flying around with Tatsulot.</p><hr/>
<p>Ayame had been through a lot in the past year, but she was happy Papa had gotten somewhat less sad.</p>
<p>She’d missed him.</p><hr/>
<p>Wataru held Ayame close as he went to go help his friends. “I’m sorry i nearly gave you up. Please forgive me…”</p>
<p>“Papa!” Ayame happily chimed out, and snuggled against him.</p>
<p>He was glad that <em>she</em> at least hadn’t been beaten down by all of this.</p>
<p>He’d have to make it up to her later.</p><hr/>
<p>Utaya looked at her repaired violin.</p>
<p>Wataru had spent months learning how to fix it and carrying it out.</p>
<p>“…I think… it’d be better off being passed down to Ayame.”</p>
<p>“But you said you Cherished it-“</p>
<p>“<em>Please.</em>”</p><hr/>
<p>“What is it, Kivat.”</p>
<p>“I’m worried about you. You haven’t exactly smiled in the last few weeks. And the violin-”</p>
<p>“Don’t have much to smile about… God I fucking… I really… I really thought that even with how much I fucked up. That at least Wataru wouldn’t go on a homicidal rampage. That- that maybe, just maybe… what Otoya, and what Maya wanted, for Fangires and Humans to get along… I just-”</p>
<p>“…It wasn’t your fault.”</p>
<p>“IT FEELS LIKE MY FAULT! WHAT HAVE I BEEN FUCKING DOING NEARLY ALL MY LIFE KIVAT?!”</p><hr/>
<p>Wataru looked at Kengo, the both of them having apologized to each other. In Kengo’s case, for lashing out, and in Wataru’s case, for his depression-related wanting to not be around people.</p>
<p>Without really thinking, blushing and leaning over the table, he kissed Kengo.</p>
<p>“I uh… I still like Mio… I just… I like you, too.”</p>
<p>“Fuck, we could’ve just done <em>This</em> the entire time, ya goof!”</p><hr/>
<p>Utaya looked at the Bloody Rose.</p>
<p>It was made by Otoya and Maya, and repaired by her little brother.</p>
<p>Even as a grown woman, she was just the girl invading someone else’s story.</p>
<p>Utaya then realized, she had nothing to live for.</p>
<p>She knew this, she’d put so <em>much</em> time into making sure her brother would grow up okay.</p>
<p>There was nothing left for her now, outside of being IXA.</p>
<p>And even then, Nago Or Kengo could do that.</p>
<p>Being IXA wasn’t enough, it would never be enough.</p>
<p>She Had loved the violin, but it only reminded her of the parents she hated.</p>
<p>And now, Wataru had his mother Maya, adopted daughter Ayame, and Mio - who he loved, and loved him in return.</p>
<p>He even had <em>another</em> sibling in Taiga.</p>
<p>It was time for her to leave this life.</p>
<p>Besides, it was only fair that for once she’d be the maternal figure doing the abandoning, right?</p><hr/>
<p>“Hey! Uta, where are you going?!”</p>
<p>“…Kivat… you were a good father… Don’t tell Wataru about why I’m going… please… just… I’m Sorry, but I can’t go on any longer. I’m empty and there’s nothing left.”</p>
<p>“Uta! You’re Not empty, Please you Can’t just-”</p>
<p>Kivat was cut off when the Bloody Rose sounded.</p>
<p>With a sad and soft look sent his way from Uta, Kivat was forced to fly off with Tatsulot to go help Wataru.</p><hr/>
<p>During the flight over to Wataru, Kivat was panicking.</p>
<p>Utaya… she’d been in a worse state than either he or Wataru had realized.</p>
<p>And there was nothing he could do at this moment to stop her.</p><hr/>
<p>Utaya finished paying her respects to Yuri.</p>
<p>She missed her. Either way, she felt good.</p>
<p>She’d said her goodbyes. Now, she was ready to do what she had to.</p>
<p>She went to place the IXA knuckle atop Yuri’s grave.</p>
<p>That was when she heard the sounds of fighting. Of Wataru trying to stop a fangire from doing… well, she didn’t know What. …Did she hear him calling him Shima?</p><hr/>
<p>Utaya stared at the fight in progress, Taiga having killed Shima.</p>
<p>And now Wataru and Taiga were fighting. She could see Mio and that one other fangire nearby… and then… Then Mio began to run towards where Wataru was about to finish Taiga off.</p>
<p>She couldn’t let this happen.</p>
<p>Without thinking she ran forward transforming into IXA, attempting to push Mio out of the way.</p>
<p>Wataru and his finisher slammed into her, sending her off the cliff.</p>
<p>…Unfortunately, Mio also went down with her.</p><hr/>
<p>Bishop looked at the two women - the good for nothing Queen and Kiva’s sister.</p>
<p>He took aim at Mio.</p>
<p>Utaya grunted, and with all the strength she could muster, and badly needing to make up for her earlier failure, threw herself in the path of his blast.</p>
<p>It was no matter to him. This would simply kill two birds with one stone.</p><hr/>
<p>“…Mio’s… she’s going to be okay Nii-chan… I… I just… need to rest a bit. It… it wasn’t… it wasn’t your…” she trailed off, her remaining strength rapidly running out.</p>
<p>“Nee-san <em><strong>PLEASE-</strong></em>”</p>
<p>“Go… save the day Nii-chan. …People… your… precious people… are waiting for you…” was all she managed before passing out, going limp.</p>
<p>“Nee-san…?”</p>
<p>There was no response.</p>
<p>“<em><strong>NEE-SAN! NEE-SAN!</strong></em>” Wataru cried over his older sister’s unconscious and mortally wounded body.</p><hr/>
<p>“…Wa… Wataru…”</p>
<p>Wataru barely managed to let go of Utaya.</p>
<p>Mio was there, and badly, badly injured.</p>
<p>He didn’t get to her fast enough, before she too passed out.</p>
<p>Wataru started screaming.</p><hr/>
<p>Both women were alive.</p>
<p>But Comatose.</p>
<p>Wataru… Wataru didn’t know how to feel about any of this.</p>
<p>Well, not how to feel beyond Terrible. He almost wanted to… he wanted to make sure he’d never be born.</p>
<p>If that were the case… two of the most important people in his life would be safe.</p><hr/>
<p>“Kengo… can you look after Mio…? I… Taiga’s still…”</p>
<p>“Sure. Hey, if ya need to talk, I’m-”</p>
<p>Wataru hung up.</p><hr/>
<p>Kivat didn’t know exactly what to do.</p>
<p>Wataru was handling the loss of two of the most important people in his life terribly.</p>
<p>Utaya was comatose, which at least was better than <em>Dead</em>. But it was in part due to Wataru, and due to the power he enabled Wataru to use.</p>
<p>Carrying a brush that was too big for him, he brushed the comatose Utaya’s hair.</p>
<p>No one else was available to be with her quite yet, and Wataru was still a wreck, but he was here.</p>
<p>This is what he can do for her, so by god he's going to do it.</p>
<p>He couldn't help her before, so he was going to do it now.</p><hr/>
<p>Megumi held the comatose Utaya’s hand.</p>
<p>“Back then… when I became Ixa… You wanted to ask me something. And I’ve noticed you’ve been looking at me more often, since… Please, Kurenai-san… I need you to survive… I want to hear what you had to say. I want to hear you play the violin, Wataru said you can… and that you’re good. I want to hear it so badly… I’ve never felt like this about another girl, Kurenai-san. I Need you to wake up. I don’t know if you can hear me but… that’s okay. I’ll tell you again when you wake up.”</p><hr/>
<p>Kivat watched the Modigliani girl confess to Utaya.</p>
<p>He wasn’t blind, despite what bat puns anyone may have made about him.</p>
<p>He’d noticed the way Utaya had been, even while she was pulling away due to her, as he now knew, growing suicidal tendencies, and tried to spend more and more time with her.</p>
<p>Well, if Utaya woke up and Megumi wasn’t here, he’d tell his daughter himself. She deserved to have some joy, <em>Any</em> joy in her life.</p><hr/>
<p>“Oh and before you go, if your sister lives… Please tell her she’s allowed to do what she wants to me as IXA. I was… terrible, back then.”</p>
<p>“How terrible?”</p>
<p>Jiro grimaces as he prepares to admit to how he’d acted towards Utaya when she was a child.</p><hr/>
<p>“…Oh. <em>Oh,</em> that’s why Nee-san hated you… and your forms…”</p>
<p>“I <em>am</em> trying to improve from how I was. I promised your father that I would.” said Jiro, leaving out that he’d basically fallen head over heels for Otoya.</p>
<p>And then he yeeted Wataru and Ayame through the Time Door into the 80’s, before Wataru could punch him… or worse.</p><hr/>
<p>Kivat, Really Really hoped Utaya did not wake up before he and Tatsulot Also returned to 2008.</p>
<p>He had to tell her, if Wataru or Megumi weren’t there.</p>
<p>She had to know there were people who cared about her</p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>1986</strong>
</p>
<p>“…So, you’re <em>Really</em> my little brother?” asked the Younger Utaya Kurenai. She looked up and down at him for a few moments. “…But you’re bigger?” she said, confused. She’d been distracted when he’d spoiled much of his existence to his parents.</p>
<p>Ah, that’s right, he’d have to answer that.</p>
<p>“…That’s because I’m from the future.” Said Wataru, trying to hide his grief from the four year old.</p>
<p>She didn’t need to know, she <em>Couldn’t <strong>Ever</strong></em> know why he’d come back to this time period.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Go... save the day Nii-chan. ...People..your...precious people... are waiting for you...” </em>
</p>
<p>She couldn’t know that she’d die because of <em>Him,</em> that he’d failed her so badly, that she’d gotten so <em><strong>Depressed</strong></em> because of Him.</p>
<p>She’d spent So much of her life looking after him once his mother had left.</p>
<p>And he’d repaid her by letting her <em>Die</em>.</p>
<p>“Am I a good big sister to you, Nii-chan<em>? </em>In the future<em>?</em>”</p>
<p>“The <strong>Best</strong>, Nee-san.” he answered, choking up as he hugged the four year old tightly.</p>
<p>She’d told him not to apologize to her before, he’d continue to follow her wishes.</p><hr/>
<p>“So, are you going to tell your sister about…?”</p>
<p>Otoya looked over at the small toddler Wataru held, who was happily splashing about in the bath.</p>
<p>“Also, <em>why</em> are you trying to erase your own existence? You have a <em>baby</em>!”</p>
<p>“…Someone else will find her.”</p>
<p>Otoya blinked.</p>
<p>“I took her in… I found her out in the snow. And just… I couldn’t leave her… For all I know, her mother probably came back for her.” said Wataru, who, distracted by his grief, was forgetting that Ayame had been left out in the snow Naked.</p><hr/>
<p>Wataru looked at his daughter during the night.</p>
<p>She looked back at him, and cooed and reached for his face.</p>
<p>He smiled a bit.</p>
<p>By all accounts, he should have left her in the future… but… but…</p>
<p>He couldn’t give her up. Not again.</p>
<p>He’d promised.</p>
<p>…And if he was going to stop existing…</p>
<p>He wanted to have her by his side as long as he was able to.</p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>2009</strong>
</p>
<p>Utaya stood in the void. It was to be expected, she was dying.</p>
<p>It probably wouldn’t be much longer, now.</p>
<p>She wondered how Wataru and the others, like her niece, and Kengo, and Mio, were doing.</p>
<p>“It’s been awhile, Uta-chan. You’ve grown up more since I last saw you. Last year, was it?” said another voice.</p>
<p>It was one Utaya knew very well.</p>
<p>“…Hello, <em>Otoya.</em>” she said, her voice dripping with disdain</p>
<p>“Not going to call me Oto anymore, Uta-chan?”</p>
<p>“…Having to raise my little brother, and deal with all your legal consequences and damn near 30 Other bastard kids, and you saying Megumi and I were too emotional to be riders? That doesn’t help, You absolute <em>Jackass.</em>”</p>
<p>Otoya gave a shrug. “Well you proved <em>me </em>wrong by becoming IXA- Also, I’m sorry, did you say <em>30</em>?!”</p>
<p>She glared at him. “Guess I did prove you wrong. …I'm glad you did right… do right? By <em>Wataru</em>, at least. Well as close to <em>Right</em> as <em>You</em> can <em>ever</em> get.”</p>
<p>“Ah the music in you has always been so harsh. You’ve done a good job with Wataru.”</p>
<p>“Some job I did, I couldn’t help him with his Agoraphobia… and the rest…”</p>
<p>“He still went back in time to try to save your life, though, after you ‘Died’ for his sake.”</p>
<p>Utaya looks away. “…I couldn’t let Mio <em>or</em> Taiga die without doing anything.”</p>
<p>“And yet, before you heard about Mio, <em>you</em> were going to try to… how to put it-”</p>
<p>“…I don’t want to hear about <em>that</em> from the likes of <em>You</em>.” She scoffed, with a short, harsh laugh. “Besides… Wataru will… Wataru will Recover. He… He’s not like <em>Me</em>, or a jackass Like <em>You</em>. He has precious people in his life.”</p>
<p>“And yet he still <em>tried</em>to prevent his own birth, to trade his life for yours. Almost like <em>You’re</em> Also one of those ‘precious people’ to him.”</p>
<p>A few moments passed before Uta could bring herself to reply. “…Even in death, you’re <em>Still</em> a jackass.”</p>
<p>“Then stop giving up on life, or I’ll just have to make sure to spend even <em>More</em> time with you here, Uta-chan.”</p>
<p>“I’m Not giving up! I Just… I <em>Just</em>-”</p>
<p>“Than prove me wrong, Uta-chan” said Otoya, taking out the IXA knuckle. “Show me how determined you are to live, how strong your hate for me is, this chain is <em>Yours</em> to break, my dear daughter.”</p>
<p>“You know… for twenty-two years. I wondered what I would say to you, if we ever managed to cross paths again. I missed my chance when you possessed Wataru back then. I won’t let it pass this time.”</p>
<p>She took a deep breath, even though she didn’t need to breathe, not here in this point between life and death, taking out her own version of the IXA Knuckle.</p>
<p>“When I win, I’m going to tell you Exactly how I feel, so don’t hold back. IXA vs IXA, winner take all.”</p>
<p>Otoya only smiled at her.</p><hr/>
<p>“<em><strong>HENSHIN!”</strong></em></p>
<p>“<em><strong>HENSHIN.</strong></em>”</p><hr/>
<p>Otoya fell to the ground, hard. “Alright, you’ve won. Tell me how you feel-”</p>
<p>Utaya immediately began her speech.</p>
<p>“You conned Multiple people, knocked up my mother, Left my mother, tried to pawn me back to said mother when she got sick of raising me By Herself! And when <em>That</em> didn’t work I’M PRETTY FUCKING SURE you tried to pawn me off to <em>Jiro- EVEN IF IT WAS JUST A JOKE</em>, who BY THE WAY couldn’t make up his mind on if he wanted to eat me or Breed with me at age <em>Four</em> or <em>Both</em> - And <em>Yes</em>, <em><strong>I REMEMBER THAT NOW, EVEN IF YOU HAD NO IDEA EXACTLY HOW MUCH OF A DICK HE WAS</strong></em>! You cheated on Yuri-san for Maya… And then you had the Nerve to Die on me and Wataru!”</p>
<p>She took a breath.</p>
<p>“Otaya Kurenai, <em>Dad</em>, <em>Oto</em>. I <em><strong>Hate</strong></em> you. I have never <em><strong>Stopped</strong></em> Hating you. I will <em><strong>Never</strong></em> stop hating you, and I’ve been waiting more than <em><strong>Twenty Years</strong></em> to say that to you.”</p>
<p>“Ah, the depths of your hate wound me-”</p>
<p>“Don’t interrupt me, I wasn’t done.” She glares.</p>
<p>“I hate that I needed <em>you</em> to make me realize that I wanted to live. I Hate that I didn’t realize how much I want to go home and see my brother, that I want to see him and Mio get married, that I want to know Taiga better, I want to see Megumi again, I want to see Ayame grow up, And I want to play the violin and make some coffee!”</p>
<p>“Then tell me again. What do you want?”</p>
<p>“<em><strong>I WANT TO LIVE</strong></em>!”</p>
<p>And then…</p>
<p>She woke up.</p><hr/>
<p>The first thing Utaya Kurenai noticed was a white ceiling, and machines beeping.</p>
<p>Ah, she was in a hospital.</p>
<p>The next thing she noticed was that someone was clutching her hand.</p>
<p>She looked over. Wataru was passed out by her bedside.</p>
<p>Even unconscious, he hadn’t let go of her hand.</p>
<p>She next realized someone was also clutching her other hand. She’d been unconscious for quite some time, most likely. Feeling was coming back in stages.</p>
<p>It was Megumi.</p>
<p>And Then Kivat was flying against her hair and sobbing, relieved that she’d woken up at last.</p>
<p>“…W…” Fuck, her voice was so raw right now. “…Were you all…”</p>
<p>“Of course.”</p>
<p>“…”</p>
<p>“Whenever any of us wasn’t dealing with a fangire, or the situation with Taiga, we were here.”</p><hr/>
<p>Wataru woke up next, and, Sobbing, hugged her tightly.</p>
<p>She weakly pet his hair.</p>
<p>“Hey…”</p>
<p>“I’M SORRY, I- I-”</p>
<p>“…I told you… it wasn’t… your fault. It hurt but… neither of us was going to die because of You.”</p>
<p>“…What…?”</p>
<p>“…That fangire with Taiga… He… He was going to kill Mio. I… jumped in front of it. She’s… precious to you.”</p>
<p>“YOU’RE PRECIOUS TO ME, TOO!”</p>
<p>“…You have… more-”</p>
<p>“Even if I Do have friends, and Mom, and Ayame, I want you too! I want you to stay in my life, too! You’re the Only family I’ve had for so long! Er, outside of Kivat.”</p>
<p>“Don’t worry, no offense taken” said Kivat from his spot sobbing against Uta’s hair.</p><hr/>
<p>The next to wake up was Megumi. Before Wataru could do anything, like point out that he’d left Utaya’s violin for her, Kivat was dragging him out by his scarf.</p>
<p>Well, that was fine. He had to go make sure his older brother would be safe too.</p>
<p>He also had to check on Mio.</p>
<p>…He didn’t know how to feel about her. He loved her, he loved her so much but…</p>
<p>She’d wanted him to kill Taiga.</p>
<p>Even with what Taiga had done, And how he’d called his own brother unforgivable… he couldn’t hate him.</p>
<p>Taiga had been his first friend, and they were Brothers.</p>
<p>There had to be another way. He couldn’t lose either of them like this.</p>
<p>He couldn’t believe that Mio, And Utaya had both managed to survive. His luck was never that good.</p><hr/>
<p>Wataru knocked softly against the door frame of the hospital room, his hand shaking.</p>
<p>Kengo and Mio had been talking.</p>
<p>There was silence, before…</p>
<p>“I’m Sorry.” Both Wataru and Mio said in unison.</p>
<p>“I… I thought… you with… the cliff, and Nee-san-”</p>
<p>“…I… I fell so hard into the fangire mindset, I- I tried to Kill Taiga-”</p>
<p>“Woah, woah.” Kengo interrupted, holding his hands up. “Look, both of you are gonna get nowhere like this. Mio’s alive, and Wataru’s alive, and right now Taiga’s alive. Ya’ll’ve gotta talk it out. I know Mio’s 19 but. We’re all adults or about to be here, even if neither of you are fully human.”</p>
<p>Wataru hesitated. “…That kind of… depends on if Taiga… Wants to talk. I… I don’t know how much he knows about what happened.”</p>
<p>Quietly, Mio added “...he also has Bishop by his side.”</p>
<p>“…I think… I think I have to become king.”</p>
<p>“Wataru-”</p>
<p>“…I promise I’ll explain later. It’s just- I need to keep him safe!” said Wataru as he got up and ran off.</p><hr/>
<p>“Kurenai-san.”</p>
<p>“I told you Aso, call me Utaya. It’s a shitty name, but it’s mine”</p>
<p>Another moment passed between them, Utaya looked at her violin. Wataru had left it in the room.</p>
<p>She didn’t feel revolted by it for once.</p>
<p>“-Aso, can I play the violin for you?”</p><hr/>
<p>Wataru looked at the leather uniform, that his role as King of the fangire - which he very much hoped to be temporary - required. It was… not exactly his style.</p>
<p>He also looked at what he remembered Taiga had worn, and heard that it was also tradition for the children of the king and queen to go naked.</p>
<p>“I don’t care if it’s traditional or not, Ayame’s staying clothed.”</p>
<p>Ayame, not understanding what was happening, nodded along.</p>
<p>Wataru held her close. “Papa might have to be scary for a bit, but I promise he won’t hurt you. Okay?”</p>
<p>Ayame nodded, still not understanding, and reached for his hair.</p>
<p>“Papa!”</p><hr/>
<p>Wataru smacked Jiro in the face Hard with the dull side of the Zanbat sword.</p>
<p>“-And <em>That</em> is for traumatizing Utaya, when she was <em>Four!</em>” said Wataru, not entirely acting.</p>
<p>Jiro continued bowing. He deserved that.</p><hr/>
<p>Megumi knelt down by Nago, who was still sitting against the tree he had been slammed against before Bishop was <em>finally</em> defeated. “Nago, are you-”</p>
<p>Quietly, Nago turned his head in her direction, eyes unfocused. “I think… my sight is completely gone. I… need your help to get up.”</p>
<p>“Of course.”</p>
<p>Besides, Megumi had <em>already</em> been helping him. They would just have to be even more of a team, now.</p>
<p>And friends. Friends would be good.</p><hr/>
<p>Mio helped Uta to where Taiga and Wataru were fighting.</p>
<p>“Okay, right now you’re real lucky you’re a fangire, you get to heal faster. Fuck. I am so sore.”</p><hr/>
<p>“Oh, fuck, it’s That loser again.”</p>
<p>“You’ve… seen that before?”</p>
<p>“I was four but yeah. It was… around the time Otoya died.” Utaya paused, thinking. “Also, uh…. I am pretty sure I was kind of dying. How are we, you know, not dead?”</p>
<p>“I think Taiga had us saved.”</p>
<p>“ … Probably that, and I guess… in my case, also My shitty dad”</p><hr/>
<p>Utaya watched as two Kivats and Tatsulot flew over to Wataru and Taiga.</p>
<p>Damn, if only she had the Ixa knuckle. But no, it was probably with Nago and Megumi, wherever they are.</p>
<p>And then, Sagarc flew over to her.</p>
<p>Taiga tossed the weapon handle he used to transform with over to her.</p>
<p>“Alright then, Together as a Family, huh?” she said, with a grin. Mio took her crutches, and quickly got them out of the way.</p>
<p>Calls of “<em><strong>HENSHIN</strong></em>” chorused through the area.</p><hr/>
<p>“Hey! Taiga! This won’t kill me, right?”</p>
<p>“The Sagarc are artificial, I’ve never heard of a human being Saga, but you Should be fine!”</p>
<p>“Got it! Not gonna lie, this is way, Way more kingly looking than Dark Kiva is!”</p>
<p>“I required the extra power!”</p>
<p>“Power doesn’t mean anything if you aren’t being Smart with it, Nii-chan!”</p>
<p>“Fair- wait, NII-CHAN?!”</p>
<p>“You’re younger than me, Taiga, and you <em>Are</em> Wataru’s brother! So, you’re my brother too, now!”</p>
<p>“Wataru, is she <em>Always</em> like this?!”</p>
<p>“I’ve never seen Nee-san this happy before, actually.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, it’s mostly Painkillers, determination, having played the violin for the first time in nearly a year, and the fact that I’ve got a Date lined up!”</p>
<p>“You and the Modigliani girl?!” yelled Kivat happily.</p>
<p>“You and Megumi-san..?!”</p>
<p>“Yep! Thanks for bringing the violin, Nii-chan. And thanks for keeping it all this time!”</p>
<p>Taiga was a bit bewildered by the fact that they were able to talk like this while fighting, and do Well at both at that.</p><hr/>
<p>“…MAYA, WHAT THE FUCK. DID YOU AND TAIGA MAKE WATARU THINK YOU FUCKING DIED, WHAT THE GODDAMN FUCK?!”</p>
<p>“…Utaya, please…”</p>
<p>“…I… actually, hey, yeah! MOM, WHY DO YOU KEEP DOING THIS?” yelled Wataru.</p>
<p>“I’ll explain later.”</p>
<p>“SURE YOU FUCKING WILL.”</p>
<p>Mio, meanwhile, was saying nothing during all of this. Instead she went to go hold Ayame, while Utaya did her best to stay upright.</p>
<p>And then Maya was encouraging Taiga and Wataru to go have a heated drama fight.</p>
<p>“OH, FOR FUCKS SAKE MAYA!” Utaya took a deep breath and continued to yell.</p>
<p>“HEY DUMBASSES, BEFORE YOU START FIGHTING AGAIN I WANT <em><strong>ALL</strong></em> OF YOU TO HEAR SOMETHING; YOU’RE <em><strong>ALL</strong> LITERALLY</em> IN FUCKING CHARGE OF THE FANGIRE! AND FUCKING MAYA, STOP ENCOURAGING THEM TO FUCKING FIGHT WHAT IS GODDAMN WRONG WITH YOU?!” Yelled Uta, balancing on her crutches.</p>
<p>Wataru, while helping her stand up, paused. “Wait. We’re in <em>charge</em>.”</p>
<p>“We can make the rules.”</p>
<p>“We should not have listened to Bishop…” Mio moaned, burying her face in her hands.</p>
<p>“I mean, he’s better than my Adopted dad.”</p>
<p>“Bishop is like the <em>only </em>one who’d been enforcing us enforcing them and he’s dead now-”</p>
<p>“Wait, adopted dad-?” Wataru asked, with a confused look at Taiga.</p>
<p>“Don’t ask.” Taiga muttered, sighing.</p>
<p>“I mean I only have to kill <em>traitors</em>, there’s nowhere in the code that says we have to get married… And if we just. Change the <em>definition</em> of ‘traitors’…” said Mio.</p>
<p>“…I like this plan. This is a good plan” said Taiga.</p>
<p>They would then proceed to jointly spend like a week poring over the stupid code to find out what they could and couldn’t do and change.</p><hr/>
<p>“Alright, we’re done trying to all fight to the death now. And Maya fucked off <em>Again</em>. Let’s get Taiga some coffee and some fucking food.”</p>
<p>“I don’t need to eat.”</p>
<p>“Don’t give me that bullshit, I have Seen fangires fucking eating food. Or we could hang out in the bath and vent about our parents, or whatever Bishop was to Mio, and <em>Then</em> get some food.” said Utaya, staggering slightly, needing Wataru’s help to hold her up.</p>
<p>“And LIKE, I KNOW HUMANS SOULS DEF PROVIDE ENERGY BUT LIKE, MOTHERFUCKER I DOUBT THEY GIVE YOU ALL OF THE REQUIRED NUTRIENTS FOR LIVING.”</p>
<p>The high of her painkillers, and the adrenaline wearing off was enough to get her to stop shouting… as much, at least.</p>
<p>“…Sure…” said Taiga, still not sure What to think, but this was… nice.</p>
<p>Mio nodded in agreement.</p>
<p>And so, they all went and hung out in the Kurenai household’s very large and weirdly easily invaded bathtub.</p>
<p>(All of them with towels, of course.)</p><hr/>
<p>After bathing came attempting to find some food, <em>any</em> food that Taiga would like.</p>
<p>“…Okay, so. It sounds like you just hate a lot of fancy gourmet stuff. We could go to, like. An Izakaya or something.”</p>
<p>“I’m a king, that seems-”</p>
<p>“…I mean… it’s worth a shot, Nii-san.”</p>
<p>Mio nodded.</p>
<p>“We will make you socialize <em>comparatively</em> normally, or so help us-” said Kivat from his violin.</p>
<p>“It took <em>years</em>to work Wataru up to this, and you’ve got a head start on him by not being afraid of the outdoors.” said Utaya.</p>
<p>Taiga’s confusion at the way they’d just accepted him into this very strange family only continued to increase.</p>
<p>Mio too didn’t know how to feel, but… she was pretty sure she really did like this better than her time with Bishop.</p><hr/>
<p>They ended up at the Izakaya that Megumi frequented.</p>
<p>It was cheap, though they had to stop Taiga from trying to reserve the entire place.</p>
<p>He tended to make a lot of extravagant, flashy gestures. It made Utaya wonder about his time with Shima-san.</p>
<p>“Utaya-chan! I didn’t know you came here too!”</p>
<p>“Y-yeah. We’re trying to get Taiga to like food.”</p>
<p>“Oh! Well!~”</p><hr/>
<p>“Well, how is it?”</p>
<p>Taiga continued eating. “I did not expect you to continue being right about Shima having not understood my tastes but, you were right. This is, this is delicious,” said Taiga between bites.</p>
<p>He went quiet.</p>
<p>“I did not set out trying to kill him… I’d wanted him to realize what it had been like for me as a fangire… or for you as a Fangire… But I’d wanted him to Live through it…” said Taiga, before trailing off.</p>
<p>“Then you’ve gotta live as a better person than you have been.”</p>
<p>“But I’m not a person-”</p>
<p>“A person is a person, whether they’re human or Fangire or anything else, Nii-chan.”</p><hr/>
<p>“So.”</p>
<p>“So.”</p>
<p>“Well, we’re all adults, and Wataru and I’ve got two hands, and so do you, and I already like you And Wataru. And he likes both of us.”</p>
<p>“I… I didn’t hate all of the date we went on. …And I do like Wataru.”</p>
<p>“And I, I like both of you. And I nearly lost both of you. I still can’t believe you’re alive, Mio…”</p>
<p>“I still can’t believe it either. …I can’t believe it really was that easy to just. Work out a new system for the fangires… I never should have listened to Bishop.”</p>
<p>“Shit happens. I nearly got scammed by an asshole fangire back aroun’ when I first Met Wataru.”</p>
<p>“…He tried to scam me, too, actually.” Wataru mumbles, guiltily.</p>
<p>“Jeeze, no wonder you were worried.”</p>
<p>“So, the three of us?”</p>
<p>“The three of us.”</p>
<p>“The Three of us.”</p>
<p>And that was that.</p><hr/>
<p>Seeing Utaya, Megumi waved. “Uta-chan!”</p>
<p>Utaya winced.</p>
<p>“You don’t like it?”</p>
<p>“It’s kind of… what Otoya used to call me. Back when I was a kid.”</p>
<p>“Oh. Hmmm…” Megumi took a moment to think. “How about Aya?”</p>
<p>“Aya…?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, Aya-chan! How’s that for a petname!”</p>
<p>Utaya made a flustered noise.</p><hr/>
<p>Utaya and Megumi were on a date at Megumi’s usually frequented Izakaya. It was, as always cheap, and the food was good. Megumi had of course polished off a number of plates.</p>
<p>Utaya, who ate slower, was still working on her second. Now that she was in a better place, she’d regained her job at the coffee shop, as well.</p>
<p>“So, how was your day?” asked Utaya, sipping at Miso soup.</p>
<p>“Unnngh, Mitsuhide’s been bugging me about getting Married <em>again</em>.”</p>
<p>“I mean, if he and your dad want you to get married so badly, <em>I'll</em> marry you. I know I’m a woman, but I think I’d be an okay wife. And you’re real cute.”</p>
<p>“Aya-chan, we’re <em>Dating.</em>”</p>
<p>Utaya blushed a bit at the nickname, still unused to it.</p>
<p>“W-well. I know, but. If it will get your brother off your back-”</p>
<p>Megumi kissed her on the cheek. “Let’s go get married!”</p>
<p>Utaya’s blush increased, and she nodded, touching her face. “Let’s get married.”</p>
<p>And then Megumi went to cheer happily.</p>
<p>She had a Fiancee now, and she had to celebrate - with yet another plate of food.</p><hr/>
<p>“Nago-san?”</p>
<p>“Yes?”</p>
<p>“My father can’t make it, and Shima-san’s dead… so would you walk me down the aisle?”</p>
<p>“<em><strong>YES…!</strong></em> Wait, who are you marrying…?”</p>
<p>“Aya-chan!”</p>
<p>Nago blinked in confusion, largely on reflex. “…I am going to need you to refresh me.”</p>
<p>“You know? Wataru’s older sister, Utaya?”</p>
<p>“Ah. Well, as long as you don’t start living together before you’re wed, I have no problems with it.”</p>
<p>“<em>Really</em>?” She gave him a dubious look, smirking, and also slightly disappointed that he can no longer see said smirk.</p>
<p>“I may be blind <em>now</em>, but back when I was metaphorically blinded by my belief that I was right and could do no wrong… I at least knew that love between two people of the same sex was Equally as foolish as that of the oppisite sex. I still don’t see the appeal for myself much to be honest, I was much more focused on <em>actual</em> crimes and sins.”</p>
<p>“For yourself <em>much</em>?”</p>
<p>“There was one woman, but that was in the past. -And no, Megumi, it was not you.”</p>
<p>“Awww, but i’m so cute. So who was it~?”</p>
<p>“She was in the past… the far past. It’s complicated…”</p>
<p>“Awww, Nago-san found and lost his first love. But I’m sorry, and… is that why you lightened up?”</p>
<p>“Looking back - do not tease me about the pun - it probably was. I was rude to you, and to everyone. I led my own father to his death, because I was so convinced that I was ridding the world of sin. And I will never be able to fully atone for it. So, the best I can do, especially since Shima-san isn’t around anymore, is run the Blue Sky Organization. And anyways… I may have fallen for her a little… <em>too</em> quickly. I even gave her my… lucky… button…” Nago then grew pale. “The one that Wataru had. Oh no.” He turns in Megumi's direction. “I am swearing you to secrecy.”</p>
<p>“Oh my god, you fell for Wataru’s mom.”</p>
<p>“You can tell <em>no one</em>.”</p>
<p>Megumi then proceeded to tell everyone.</p><hr/>
<p>Utaya tried her best not to laugh Too hard.</p>
<p>“Oh my God, between this and Wataru twacking Jiro with a sword, I’m having a Great week. And don’t worry Nago. You probably got out good, even if you <em>were</em> a <em><strong>massive</strong></em> tool.”</p>
<p>“I’m surprised you’re being so… <em>Okay</em> with this.”</p>
<p>“You calmed your ass down, and you went against your orders that time they told you to kill Wataru. I’m willing to cut you a little slack. -Even if I am still really <em>Really</em> upset about what you did to Oomura-san.”</p>
<p>“I did nothing to help his situation either, in fact I exacerbated it. …I looked into panic attacks and the like a few weeks ago. I’m… <em>trying</em> to get used to braille and I had the time… as well as the orders of my therapist.”</p>
<p>Pulling at his collar uncomfortably, he continued. “You were right, they <em>are</em> horrible… and now, with having to rely on just my ears and touch? I am able to understand more and more why he was overloaded by all the noise of the city. It is… overwhelming, at times.”</p>
<p>“…Yeah. Wataru had a few freak outs about that stuff, shortly before he got afraid of going outside. It was tough. And… I am so sorry about your sight.”</p>
<p>“I have dealt with worse. Besides, while I may Not be able to see, I have my life, and the realization that I need to do better. And that is enough.”</p><hr/>
<p>“Hey Nii-chan, I can't believe you ran late for this. You’re lucky this isn’t my <em>Wedding</em>, Wedding.” said Utaya, smiling.</p>
<p>“You look great.”</p>
<p>Utaya spun around.</p>
<p>“You look pretty good in that suit too, Nii-chan, I bet Mio and Kengo are happy~”</p>
<p>Wataru blushed furiously.</p><hr/>
<p>Three adults entered the church.</p>
<p>“PAPA! MAMA! IT’S MASAO! IT’S ME, MASAO!” shouted the only male, waving wildly.</p>
<p>“Papa! IT’S AYAME!” said the oldest one of the three.</p>
<p>“…Oh my god, you guys…” said the youngest girl, who did not spoil her name like her younger brother did. A white, and much more feminine version of Kivat was flying by her side.</p>
<p>Well, this certainly a way for Wataru and Mio to learn they’d have Two more children.</p>
<p>Utaya groaned seeing the youngest, whose face looked Exactly like Otoya’s.</p>
<p>If this turned out to be one of his tricks she swore...</p><hr/>
<p>“PAPA! IT’S THE NEO-FANGIRES!”</p><hr/>
<p>And so everyone transformed.</p>
<p>Wataru was worried about what Future!Ayame’s glowing, bright green tattoos meant when she transformed.</p>
<p>Though that was a priority for another day.</p><hr/>
<p>“Ayame, about those tattoos-”</p>
<p>“SO, IT’S A LONG STORY PAPA, BUT DEMONS ARE KIND OF A THING. ALSO GOD’S A DICK, AND YOU MAAAY WANNA PLAY A FEW MORE VIDEO GAMES.”</p>
<p>In the distance Nago could be heard yelling in indignation.</p><hr/>
<p>It turned out the “Neo-Fangires” were Actually called kaijin and members of something referred to as “Dai-Shocker.”</p>
<p>Well, at least it had been dealt with.</p>
<p>That was when a man in a bucket hat and trench coat walked up to him.</p><hr/>
<p>Wataru really, <em>really</em> didn’t like having to be the one to do this, but he should be fine.</p>
<p>“<em>The tales of the Riders were something that would eventually be lost to time. But because of Decade’s battles, they will remain fresh in people’s minds. Their stories will be able to continue</em>.”</p>
<p>“<em>Stories</em>?”</p>
<p>If he was being honest, Wataru had no idea what the hell all of this was, either. He just wanted to go home. His senpai having helped him try to explain just what the hell was going on.</p>
<p>“<em>Creation cannot exist without destruction. And now the Riders who were born from destruction have become eternal.</em>”</p>
<p>“<em>But… What about Decade’s story</em>?”</p>
<p>“<em>Decade… and his children… Have No Story of their own.</em>”</p><hr/>
<p>“How about… Shinju?”</p>
<p>“Pearl? Well… It is cute like she is. Just promise to not be away until a week before I give birth next time.”</p>
<p>“I promise, Mio.” said Wataru, who was sporting a now-fading black eye. “Though, why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant? I would’ve come back sooner! I also wouldn't have been in the orgy…”</p>
<p>“I told you, we were both fine with the orgy, and I had Kengo anyways. Besides… you had the stuff with Decade to deal with.”</p>
<p>“But still-”</p>
<p>“Anyway, how Did you get that black eye?”</p>
<p>“I… got a bit lost in character.”</p><hr/>
<p>“<em>Why</em> do you want to change my special brew?” asked the owner.</p>
<p>“The man who talked about grooming me into a broodmare and was a friend of my father thought I smelled like this coffee.” replied Uta dryly, focusing incredibly hard on the coffee being brewed.</p>
<p>And thus, the owner changed the recipe so that it tasted slightly off but similar but smells completely different. This particular recipe was only to be served to Jiro, a sign with his picture posted in the back.</p><hr/>
<p> <br/></p>
<p>
  <strong>2019</strong>
</p>
<p>“<em>Yeah, Of course it’s shitty coffee. I changed it <strong>Just</strong> to piss <strong>you</strong> off!</em>” said Utaya from afar, finally admitting it a decade later.</p>
<p>“<em>Now stop flirting with the damn barista and get out, Jiro.”</em></p><hr/>
<p>“You guys are all stupid, let’s go Jiro-san.”</p>
<p>And then the small child and the white bat-like… creature by her side were off, dragging the Wolfen with her, having tossed Zi-O the Kiva Ridewatch.</p>
<p>“Take Care of Kivat! AND PAPA’S POWERS!” she said in a happier tone.</p>
<p>Sougo just watched her leave, staring as she started chewing out the grown man, who was starting to shrink away.</p>
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